The story of Mohamad Saaydoun, a displaced Lebanese amputee now living in a makeshift camp in central Beirut, has become a stark reminder that conflict does not end at the moment of injury. For people with limb loss, disability or reduced mobility, displacement creates a second crisis: the loss of safety, income, housing, medical follow-up and access to rehabilitation services.
According to reporting shared by Oz Arab Media, based on an Al Jazeera newsfeed video, Saaydoun was displaced by the latest Israel-Hezbollah war after repeated movement, loss of income and damage to his home. He is one of more than 1.6 million people reported to have been displaced across Lebanon amid continuing attacks.
His question — “where am I supposed to go?” — captures the uncertainty facing thousands of displaced people, but it carries particular weight for amputees and people with disabilities. For a prosthetic user, displacement is not only a question of shelter. It can mean losing access to socket adjustment, stump care, mobility aids, physiotherapy, repairs, replacement components and the clinical relationships needed to maintain independence.
Lebanon’s current crisis is placing further pressure on an already strained health and rehabilitation system. Recent reports describe continuing attacks, mass displacement, economic contraction and damage to healthcare access, with humanitarian agencies warning that people are being cut off from essential services.
For the orthotics and prosthetics sector, Saaydoun’s case highlights a wider emergency need: rehabilitation must be treated as an essential part of humanitarian response, not as a secondary service to be addressed after food, shelter and emergency medicine. The World Health Organization has repeatedly warned that conflict and sudden-onset emergencies create a surge in rehabilitation and assistive technology needs, while displacement increases demand for wheelchairs, crutches, prostheses, orthoses and related clinical support.
The challenge is especially acute for people already living with limb loss before displacement. A prosthesis is not a one-time device. It requires fitting, alignment, review, repair and replacement. Changes in weight, residual limb condition, skin integrity, pain, terrain and daily activity can all affect whether a person can continue to use a device safely. Without access to trained prosthetists, orthotists, physiotherapists and rehabilitation teams, an amputee can quickly lose mobility and independence.
Humanity & Inclusion has also warned that people with disabilities are among the “forgotten victims” of Lebanon’s crisis, noting that more than 2,400 people with disabilities had been identified in collective shelters by mid-March 2026, including many with physical disabilities.
For IMEA’s rehabilitation community, the message is clear. Conflict response must include:
The International Committee of the Red Cross describes physical rehabilitation as including mobility devices such as prostheses, orthoses, walking aids and wheelchairs, alongside therapy, training and long-term service development. This broader definition is critical in Lebanon, where people like Saaydoun require far more than emergency shelter.
His story should therefore be read not only as a humanitarian account, but as a call to action for rehabilitation planners, donors, NGOs, ministries of health and O&P professionals across the IMEA region. In conflict settings, mobility is survival. A functioning prosthesis, an accessible shelter, a trained clinician and a pathway back to community life can determine whether a displaced amputee remains independent or becomes further isolated.
As Lebanon’s displacement crisis continues, the needs of amputees and people with disabilities must be placed at the centre of response planning. Saaydoun’s question — where is he supposed to go — should also challenge the rehabilitation sector to ask: where are the systems that allow people with limb loss to keep moving, working and living with dignity during crisis?