‘It was her leg or her life’: Woman from viral video on how she escaped Gaza after brutal amputation

Published

1 year ago

June 4, 2024

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It was a moment of horror from Gaza which went viral – a video of an amputation on a dining table. No anaesthetic. No bandages. Just a bucket, some soap and a kitchen knife.

It was 19 December 2023, and the war in Gaza was in its third month. Israel’s bombardment of the northern part of the narrow strip of land was at its most intense.

Inside the Bseiso family home, an apartment on the ground floor of a six-storey block not far from Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital, 17-year-old Ahed Bseiso was laid across the kitchen table.

The table, where Ahed’s mother had been making bread moments before, was now a scene of unimaginable horror, as Ahed’s uncle Hani, who is a doctor, carried out an emergency operation.

Ahed’s left leg was badly wounded, and her right lower leg was in shreds.

Desperate, she had pleaded with her uncle not to amputate it but Hani knew he had no choice.

It was her leg or her life.

Minutes earlier, Ahed had been on the top floor of their building, trying to call her father who lives in Belgium. The high floors were best for phone signal and every day, she and her older sister, Mona, would head up there to tell him they were still alive.

On this particular morning, as she struggled to get a connection, she noticed some large Israeli tanks outside on the street. Then a huge explosion split the air.

“I heard a bang and a wall came tumbling on top of me,” Ahed told Sky News. “There was dust all over the place and I couldn’t understand where I was.”

Trapped in the rubble, Ahed was disorientated. She called for Mona. Her mother and her cousins rushed to help. They managed to free her from the rubble, revealing the young Gazan – alive but with one leg broken and the other in pieces.

“I asked my cousin, ‘Is my leg gone?’ and he said, ‘No, don’t look’.”

Her cousins carried Ahed down the stairs to their apartment. There was gunfire outside.

“There was no surgical equipment,” Ahed recalled. “My uncle got soap and the scrubber from the kitchen and started to clean my leg… He started to cry. Then he cut my leg off.

“I remained conscious the entire time without anaesthesia. My only solace was my cousin, who stood next to me, reciting the Koran.”

Her uncle Hani saved her life. He had also felt compelled to film the procedure; to show the world what had come of life, and death, for the people of Gaza.

“What is this injustice that has befallen us?” he screamed straight at the camera as he cleaned Ahed’s wound.

“We have been surrounded for 15 days. I had to amputate my niece’s leg without anaesthesia. Where is the mercy? Where is humanity? What have we done to deserve this?”

The decision to upload the video to social media would in time precipitate a journey for Ahed out of Gaza, to Egypt and eventually to America.

Six thousand miles away in the small American town of Aiken, South Carolina, a woman called Wafa Abed was online. Like so many exiled Palestinians around the world, she was deeply affected by the images emerging from her homeland.

As she scrolled, she came across the video of Hani Bseiso, his niece and the amputation. The Bseisos were strangers to her but the footage had an immediate impact.

“You have to get this girl out,” Wafa told her son Tareq. “You have to do this.”

Tareq Hailat, 27, a medical student, had recently taken on a new part-time role. As an Arab-American, he was consumed by the tragedy of the Israel-Gaza conflict, and had started working for a charity.

The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) is an American charity with a long history of helping the region’s vulnerable children. Since this latest conflict began it has tried, initially with little success, to evacuate injured children.

Now, desperate to help Ahed and others who he had seen online, Tareq began to put together a global network of strangers. Despite the huge obstacles in his path, he pulled every lever and followed every lead.

PCRF’s long-established status in Gaza and the West Bank – combined with this young medical student’s drive and determination – began to work wonders.

“I kept working on ensuring that we can pull Ahed out,” Tareq said over a Palestinian breakfast at his parents’ South Carolina home.

“I started reaching out to my professors and they connected me with different physicians here in the US. Once that was established, then I started connecting with people inside Gaza and in Egypt.”

It took over a month, and 17 failed attempts, to get Ahed out of Gaza.

Israel repeatedly denied her permission to leave. Her ambulance convoy was attacked and the vehicle next to hers was destroyed.

In Egypt, in preparation, there were passports to apply for, and visas to be issued.

For Tareq and his new team, it felt like a logistical and bureaucratic impossibility. He was on the phone daily, sometimes hourly, for two weeks to the Red Crescent.

“They would ask the Israelis for permission to go up to the north of Gaza to get her. We would never get the green light. Finally, we did.”

Ahed Bseiso arrived in Greenville, South Carolina, on 17 February 2024, having just turned 18.

She had never left Gaza before and was now in a new world with her sister Mona beside her. The rest of the Bseiso family had to remain behind, trapped in Gaza.

Greenville was where they ended up because Tareq studies medicine there and he knew people willing to treat her injuries.

Ahed was sitting in her wheelchair, with her sister, a faint smile on her face, when I first met her.

Like Tareq’s mother and many millions of others, I had seen the viral video months earlier. I never imagined I would meet the young woman at the heart of it.

“Marhaba,” I said – Arabic for hello. She replied in English. “Hello.”

I wasn’t quite sure where to begin. But she chose to start on that fateful day explaining it all with bravery and poise.

I asked her the question I’d wondered about ever since I’d first seen the video. Why wasn’t she screaming? How on earth did she cope?

”The strength came from within me,” she replied, “…because I never want to give my occupier the opportunity that they were able to kill us and silence us.”

Last week was the latest stage of Ahed’s journey, from South Carolina to Colorado. The strangers compelled to help her through every step were taking her to see a doctor in Denver.

Dr Omar Mubarak is a leading American vascular surgeon and another remarkable character who makes things happen. He’d been contacted by the PCRF and immediately wanted to help.

Beyond the welcome party he gathered at the arrivals hall at Denver airport, Dr Omar had arranged a new prosthetic leg. For free, for Ahed.

The morning of the fitting began with a smile. Ahed had left her right shoe in Greenville. There wouldn’t be anything to put on the new foot. She giggled and we all laughed.

The fitting itself was private – her moment.

But then, as the clinic door opened, one tentative step. Then lots. Ahed marched down the hospital corridor. “It feels great,” she said.

Dr Omar watched, smiling, but with a tear in his eye. “She took to it like a fish. She made four steps before we could stop her. Awesome day. Awesome. She’s extremely excited.”

Ahed seemed so grateful to those who have helped her, only a handful of whom could be mentioned in this story.

“It is something I will never forget,” she said.

But how did she feel about coming to America – a place where she’s found such kindness but the country which is the biggest supporter of the nation which caused her injuries? It was a tricky question but an important one.

Her answer spoke volumes.

“When you see people happy to see you or trying their best to support you… it is something I will never forget.

“But the first thing I thought was ‘how I could leave Gaza and seek treatment in a country that is possibly – even more than Israel – largely responsible for my condition?'”

Out of a war which has stirred so much and damaged so many, I found a young woman grateful but hugely conflicted too.

Ahed will now head back to South Carolina to continue her recovery. She wants to return home as soon as possible.

“I’m happy for this opportunity, but my heart is still with my family in northern Gaza, which is the most terrible place on earth right now.”

The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) has now extracted about 100 injured children from Gaza since this latest conflict began. Seven of them, including Ahed, have come to the United States.

Most have been sent for treatment in the region – 47 have been moved to Qatar and 15 to the United Arab Emirates. Many are in hospital in Egypt. Lebanon, South Africa and Jordan have all agreed to take patients. Others have gone to Europe. The UK has not accepted any Gazans.

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Dignitas founder dies by assisted suicide aged 92

Published

3 hours ago

December 1, 2025

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Dignitas founder dies by assisted suicide aged 92

The founder of Dignitas, the Switzerland-based assisted suicide clinic, has died aged 92, according to the organisation.

Ludwig Minelli, lawyer and former journalist, died on 29 November shortly before his 93rd birthday.

Mr Minelli lived a life “for freedom of choice, self-determination, and human rights”, said Dignitas in a tribute.

He founded the organisation in 1998 with “a group of like-minded people”.

“At that time, he and his fellow compatriots would never have thought that this association was about to become an internationally active organisation,” said the tribute.

It described Mr Minelli’s belief that trying to “talk someone out of suicide is not a suitable prevention method”.

“Rather, the approach should be taking a person in a seemingly hopeless situation seriously, meeting them at eye level, and showing them all possible options to alleviate their suffering.”

Those options should include “the possibility of ending their own life with professional support, safely and in a self-determined way in a setting that he or she personally deems dignified”, it said, adding that a very small number of people who approach Dignitas end up choosing assisted suicide.

“It is up to the individual to decide which option to choose,” said the tribute.

The Dignitas team said Mr Minelli had “planned succession for a seamless transition” and the organisation would continue its “professional and combative” work.

Although Switzerland has allowed assisted dying since 1942 – provided the motive is not “selfish” – Dignitas became well-known as it allows non-Swiss people to use its clinics.

Despite assisted suicide still being illegal in the UK, people from Great Britain make up the second largest group of Dignitas members, according to the group’s statistics.

Last year, 37 people travelled from Great Britain to die at a Swiss Dignitas clinic.

Those who accompany their loved ones to the clinics can be charged with assisted suicide, although earlier this year, police said a widow who accompanied her husband wouldn’t face charges.

“Whilst [the CPS] concluded the evidential test had been met regarding assisted suicide, it was decided not to be in the public interest to prosecute,” said North Yorkshire Police in a statement at the time.

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.

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Hong Kong high rise fire: 13 arrested for suspected manslaughter as death toll hits 151

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3 hours ago

December 1, 2025

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Hong Kong high rise fire: 13 arrested for suspected manslaughter as death toll hits 151

Thirteen people have been arrested for suspected manslaughter after Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, officials have said.

At a press conference about the tragedy at Wang Fuk Court, police said 151 people had now died as a result of the blaze – Hong Kong’s worst since 1948 – and that more than 40 are still missing.

An emotional Tsung Shuk Yin, a police official, told reporters on Monday: “Some of the bodies have turned into ash, therefore, we might not be able to locate all missing individuals.”

The fire last week engulfed multiple high rise blocks of flats. Officials overseeing investigations said that tests on several samples of a green mesh that was wrapped around bamboo scaffolding on the buildings at the time of the blaze did not match fire-retardant standards.

Chief secretary Eric Chan told reporters that contractors working on the renovations used substandard materials in hard-to-reach areas, effectively hiding them from inspectors.

The officials said that foam insulation used by contractors also fanned the flames, and fire alarms at the complex were not working properly.

Sky News had previously learnt that residents raised their fears over fire safety connected to extensive renovations on Wang Fuk Court as early as September 2024.

Labour Department acknowledges reply ‘was unclear’

In a statement to Sky News, Hong Kong’s Labour Department acknowledged that, in reply to these complaints, it told residents the mesh was designed to limit objects falling from the scaffolding and that “current safety regulations applied to construction sites by the Labour Department do not cover flame-retardant standards for scaffolding netting or any materials”.

They now acknowledge this reply to residents “was unclear and caused misunderstanding”.

The Labour Department also told residents they judged the risk of a fire on the scaffolding was “relatively low”, because the works did not include activities such as welding.

In its statement to Sky News, the Labour Department says this did not mean the risk was negligible, and also noted contractors had been reminded to “implement fire prevention measures.”

The blaze broke out at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex in the city’s Tai Po district on Wednesday.

Records show the site consists of eight blocks, with almost 2,000 apartments housing around 4,800 residents, including many elderly people.

It was built in the 1980s and has recently been undergoing a major renovation.

On Sunday, more than 1,000 people turned out to pay tribute to the victims of the fire, queuing for more than a kilometre to lay flowers, some with sticky notes attached addressed to the victims.

Man calling for probe detained

Meanwhile, it emerged that police detained Miles Kwan, 24, who was part of a group that launched a petition demanding an independent probe into possible corruption and a review of construction oversight.

An online petition demanding an independent probe into possible corruption and a review of construction oversight drew over 10,000 signatures before it was closed.

Another petition with similar demands attracted more than 2,700 signatures with its plea for “explicit accountability” from the government.

Two people familiar with the matter told Reuters that Kwan was detained on Saturday. The news outlet could not establish whether he had been arrested.

He was pictured leaving a police station in a taxi on Monday afternoon.

Police did not comment on the case, and Hong Kong Security Chief Chris Tang also declined to comment on specific operations at a press conference on Monday.

He added: “I’ve noticed that some people with malicious intent, aiming to harm Hong Kong and national security, have taken advantage of this painful moment for society.

“Therefore, we must take appropriate action, including enforcement measures.”

In a statement about the arrest, Luk Chi-man, executive director of Amnesty International Hong Kong Overseas, said: “We urge the Hong Kong authorities to establish the full facts of last week’s tragedy through a thorough, independent, impartial and open investigation, and to publicly clarify the cause of the fire, hold relevant persons accountable and release all findings without delay.

“It is both a right and a duty for people in Hong Kong to demand this kind of accountability; but rather than recognise this, the Hong Kong authorities have instead chosen to silence those who raise their concerns and demands.

“A healthy society should not have only one voice.”

World

Rescue efforts continue across south of Asia as floods death toll climbs

Published

6 hours ago

December 1, 2025

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Rescue efforts continue across south of Asia as floods death toll climbs

Rescue and recovery and efforts are underway in parts of South and Southeast Asia where the number of those killed in devastating flooding continues to rise.

The extreme weather last week has killed at least 334 people in Sri Lanka, 502 in Indonesia, and 170 in Thailand, according to authorities.

Rescuers in Sri Lanka are still searching for 370 people after a cyclone hit the island nation, with downpours flooding homes, fields and roads and triggering landslides in the hilly central region.

Nearly a million people have been impacted by the heavy rains and floods, which forced nearly 200,000 into shelters, the country’s disaster management centre said.

People were seen salvaging belongings from flooded homes along the banks of the Kelani river near capital Colombo on Monday.

Meanwhile, train and flight services have resumed after being disrupted last week, but schools stayed closed, officials said.

Cyclone Ditwah was the “largest and most challenging” natural disaster in Sri Lanka’s history, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said.

The cyclone also brought heavy rain to India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu over the weekend, with authorities saying three people were killed in rain-related incidents.

The storm, which is currently 50km (30 miles) off the coast of the state capital Chennai, has already weakened into a “deep depression” and is expected to weaken further in the next 12 hours, weather officials said on Monday.

Hundreds still missing in Indonesia

In Southeast Asia, close to 700 people were killed as two different cyclones hit the region. Rescuers in Indonesia are still searching for at least 508 people missing, according to official figures.

People have started clearing mud, trees and wreckage from roads on the weekend as recovery operations continued.

More than 28,000 homes have been damaged, with 1.4 million people affected by the rare tropical storm.

The country’s president, Prabowo Subianto, called it a catastrophe and pledged to rebuild infrastructure as he visited the three affected provinces on Monday, where nearly 300,000 people have been displaced by the flooding.

In Thailand, flooding in eight southern provinces affected about three million people and led to a major mobilisation of its military to evacuate critical patients from hospitals and reach people stuck in floodwaters for days.

In the worst-affected city of Hat Yai, a southern trading hub, 335 mm (13 inches) of rain fell on 21 November, its highest single-day tally in 300 years, followed by days of unrelenting downpours.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnivirakul expects residents to be able to return home within seven days, a government spokesperson said on Monday.

The first batch of compensation payments is set to be distributed on Monday, starting with 239m baht (£5.6m) for 26,000 people, the spokesperson added.

In Malaysia there have been at least three deaths and authorities are still on alert for a second and third wave of flooding as 11,600 remain in evacuation centres.