Iyad, a 17-year-old Palestinian, laughs as he passes a football back and forth with his friend Hossam in the physiotherapy room at the Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) hospital in Amman, Jordan.
“It helps me a lot when Hossam joins,” says Iyad. “We joke a lot, but we also support each other a lot. Physical pain goes away when you have someone to laugh with.”
Iyad met Hossam, a 21-year-old Iraqi, at the hospital where both were undergoing treatment at MSF’s Reconstructive Surgery Program. The two have become close friends in the months since, and spend their time playing football, sharing meals, and challenging each other on PlayStation.
“Last time we played PlayStation, I beat him 6-2,” laughs Hossam.
Two friends, two injuries requiring specialized care
Iyad comes from the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza and was critically injured after Israeli forces shot him in the leg while he was out looking for food with friends. “There was sudden gunfire,” he explains. “It came out of nowhere. My leg got hit. Everyone started running. I was so scared.”
The bullet hit the back of Iyad’s thigh, leading to severe nerve injuries. He lost sensation in his lower leg, foot, and ankle. After emergency surgeries at Al-Awda and Al-Aqsa hospitals in Gaza, he was transferred to Egypt for further treatment. Four months later, MSF teams brought him to Amman for specialized reconstructive surgery and physiotherapy. For almost a year, he has been attending physiotherapy sessions every day to regain movement and sensation in his leg. During his treatment, he met Hossam.
Hossam was just 9 years old when he was severely injured in an explosion in his hometown of Samarra, Iraq. The burn injuries caused by the blast cover his face, neck, abdomen, back, and hand. He underwent 17 surgeries in Iraq before arriving at the Reconstructive Surgery Program in 2019. Since then, he has had 10 additional surgeries, countless physiotherapy sessions, and transparent neck orthosis therapy, which helps with mobility and reduces scarring with specialized 3D-printed masks.
"My life was destroyed and my future was lost,” Hossam says. “I left school even though my dream was to become a pilot one day.”
“Life here is nothing like it was when I was still at home,” he adds. “It’s different. I’m a foreigner here in Jordan. I’m not surrounded by my people and my family.”
Iyad knows this feeling well: “Back home in Gaza, I was always surrounded by people. Despite the hunger, danger, and bombing, I felt safe surrounded by my family and friends.”
But going to Jordan was not easy. “Coming here, I was scared,” Iyad shares. “I worried about what life in the hospital would be like and whether I would have any friends. On top of having these injuries, the feeling of being alone makes it all much more painful. You need someone to talk to. It helps to forget the pain.”
Peer support is a shield for mental health
MSF’s mental health teams at the Reconstructive Surgery Program recognize the importance of social support for war victims. Patients at the hospital come from war zones across the Middle East—including Palestine, Iraq, and Yemen—to receive medical treatment unavailable in their home countries. Some arrive with caretakers, while others, like Hossam, come alone. Most patients require multiple surgeries and extended rehabilitation, leading to long separations from their families. For many, it is their first time outside of their country.
“Social support from peers is a shield against depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety,” says Mahmood, an MSF clinical psychologist in Amman. “People need other people around them to support them and normalize their feelings.”
“Patients here support each other in ways we can’t always provide as staff,” he adds. “They relate to each other as they all have conflict-related injuries. Sharing their experiences helps them heal. It helps them to cope with the pain, the long treatment, and the distance from home. For war victims, recovery goes beyond surgery.”
“People here are of different nationalities and have different injuries,” says Hossam, “but there’s no divide between us. We’re brothers and sisters. We understand each other because we know what it feels like. We share the same pain.”
Iyad agrees: “I’ve met Iraqis here who told me how much they support Palestinians. They stand with us. I was surprised by their solidarity. It made me love Iraq.”
Forming lasting bonds
When Iyad arrived in Amman, he was unable to walk without assistance. Now, he walks independently, but the sensation in his foot and ankle hasn’t yet returned. He hopes to recover further.
“Before the injury, I had big dreams to become a soccer player,” he says. “Now, those dreams are gone. I just hope to recover and regain my health.”
Hossam will need years of treatment to further release the contractures in his skin. In the future, he hopes to not be affected by his injury and to have a family and his own career.
After their treatment, Iyad and Hossam hope to visit each other in their home countries.
“We’re not going to give up on each other,” says Iyad. “It’s hard to let go of good people.”
About MSF’s Reconstructive Surgery Program
MSF established the Reconstructive Surgery Program in Amman in 2006 to treat victims of the Iraq War. As conflict-related injuries surged across the Middle East, the hospital expanded to admit patients from Syria, Yemen, Jordan, and Palestine, and it has recently started to admit patients from Somalia and Sudan. Through the program, patients can access medical expertise unavailable in their home countries.
The Reconstructive Surgery Program has grown into a regional hub for the treatment of patients with complicated, life-changing injuries, offering surgical and rehabilitative care for orthopedic, plastic and maxillofacial trauma, burns, and other conflict-related injuries. Its holistic approach includes surgical care, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, a 3D printing department, mental health support, and psychosocial care. Most patients stay for months at a time to heal their physical and psychological wounds.
