From Gaza to US: A teen's journey from war and amputation to hope

Motassembelah "Motassem" Abuzayed was a junior in high school and dreamed of going to college or university.

He was severely injured by an airstrike while he was outside with his friends in his neighborhood in the Gaza Strip .

More than 25,000 children have been injured in the Israel -Hamas war, according to the United Nations .

Motassem was medically evacuated to Egypt on New Year's Eve in 2023 through a program run by the Gaza Ministry of Health .

He had several operations on his arm and fingers and needed to have a chest tube placed on his left side after doctors found he had a hemothorax, which occurs when blood pools in the pleural space, or the space between the lungs and the chest wall.

He also developed a severe bacterial infection, but it's unclear which infection he had.

Motassem arrived in the U.S. at John F. Kennedy International Airport on his birthday, Oct. 19, 2024 .

He said he was held up in questioning for four hours and asked if he was a Hamas supporter.

He was put on a direct flight from Cairo to New York City with another child being medically evacuated.

He underwent nerve-bundling surgery on Jan. 24, 2025 .