Seated on a wheelchair with her mother Mariam Ahmed by her side, 11-year-old Lana Hassan emerged through the arrivals gate at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport last month to the sound of roaring cheers, as dozens of South Florida residents gathered to welcome her.
Lana lost her right leg from below the knee on Aug. 31, 2024, when an Israeli airstrike hit a neighboring home in Gaza. At the time, she was staying at her uncle’s house with her mother and two siblings after the family had evacuated their own home.
The explosion severely injured the then-10-year-old, who endured 18 surgeries over several weeks in Gaza before she was stable enough to leave, her mother said.
“The first thought I had after her injury was that my daughter’s future is destroyed,” Mariam said.
But their luck turned one day in September, when Mariam met a representative from HEAL Palestine, a U.S.-based nonprofit that evacuates injured children from Gaza and coordinates their medical care in the U.S. and Egypt.
“He told me they can help Lana travel and fit her with a prosthetic leg,” Mariam said. “I was ecstatic, my daughter would walk again like before, she can achieve all her dreams, she wouldn’t need crutches or anyone, she can be independent.”
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The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, recently reported that “across Gaza, 4,500 new amputees require prosthetics, with another 2,000 needing ongoing care. About 24,000 people are estimated to require rehabilitation.”
The war began Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on southern Israel. Israeli officials said the assault killed more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and around 250 others were taken captive as hostages into Gaza.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 52,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 119,000 injured since the war began.
UNICEF estimates that more than 15,000 children have reportedly been killed and over 34,000 injured.
A warm welcome and many 'firsts'
Lana arrived in South Florida in April to begin pro-bono treatment for her prosthetic leg and physical therapy, arranged through local medical partnerships.
She and her mother were evacuated from Gaza to Egypt in February with 15 other children, when a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was still in place.
Lana’s two siblings and father remain in Gaza, as only one female guardian was allowed to accompany her.
HEAL Palestine helped secure her medical visa through the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. It took four months to get her from Gaza to the United States. Her treatment and rehabilitation are expected to last between three to six months.
Steve Sosebee, HEAL Palestine’s executive director, said the nonprofit has brought 44 children to the U.S. for medical care, most of them injured in the war. All treatment is provided at no cost, and families are placed with volunteer host families during their stay.
Sondos Jaber, HEAL Palestine’s social worker overseeing Lana’s case, said support from the local community has been essential in making these medical partnerships possible. She noted that South Floridians were especially generous in welcoming Lana, the first evacuee brought to the region by HEAL Palestine.
“They’ve been so excited to meet her, we’ve had volunteers let us know what they can help us with, we’ve had doctors reach out, dentists, pediatrics … we have a WhatsApp group for all the volunteers and, whenever we need something, the Fort Lauderdale group has been amazing, proactive and just very eager to help her,” Jaber said.
At the airport, supporters carried balloons, flowers and handmade signs that read “We love you Lana” and “Welcome to Florida Lana,” with drawings of green palm trees and a bright yellow sun.
Among them was Elspeth Walker, a West Palm Beach native who heard about Lana’s arrival through “pro-Palestinian social media groups” and was moved by the show of support.
“Everyone here is so filled with love and compassion and kindness and solidarity with this little girl who until God knows how many months ago had parts of her blown off for no reason at all,” she said.
Zohra Khorashi, a South Florida resident since 2011, also came to greet Lana. She said the community’s strength lies in its unity.
“There is so much power in our unity to be able to do things like bringing this immigrant child to the U.S. for treatment,” Zohra said. “This sends a strong and positive message not only about what we as a nation, as Americans are, but what we as a community can do for those overseas.”
Pickleball, classes and many firsts
A week later in her host family’s Delray Beach home, Lana held a pickleball racquet and passed the ball to Emad Ziadeh, a Palestinian American physical therapist assistant from Fort Lauderdale who is volunteering to work with her.
Ziadeh was motivated to help as a way to give back to his community and focuses on strengthening the muscles Lana will use to walk again.
“I try to make it fun for her because she’s just a kid. We've done different things like kick our legs in the pool, playing pickleball for balance … do activities like standing and baking,” he said.
As part of the wider community support, a local Islamic private school has offered Lana the chance to return to the classroom. Her education came to a halt when the war broke out during her 4th grade. Now, she’ll attend classes on days when she’s not receiving treatment.
Lana said she’s most excited to “make new friends and play together.”
In South Florida, Lana has experienced many “firsts,” from flying on a plane to watching a movie in a theater. Before arriving, she’d never even heard of Florida. She especially looks forward to seeing the beach and finds the palm trees “very pretty.”
“Life is beautiful here, Gaza was also beautiful before the war but not anymore … all the buildings have collapsed and you can hear the sounds of airstrikes all the time,” she said.
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Dunia Ibrahim, a Palestinian American who moved to South Florida from the West Bank 25 years ago, and her husband Hayythem Mahmoud, originally from Ohio, are hosting Lana and her mother.
Dunia said opening their home felt like the least they could do “to give back to the people of Gaza.”
She said it’s been humbling to see how excited Lana and her mother are about things like round-the-clock electricity, unlimited running water and a stocked pantry.
Dunia added the response from South Florida’s diverse community has been “unbelievable,” with support pouring in from Muslims, non-Muslims, Arabs, Asians, African Americans and others.
“I hope that she leaves here knowing that she always has family in the United States and friends that will be here no matter what,” she said.
