KARACHI: As soon as eight-year-old Sidra Al Bordeeni returned from the clinic with her prosthetic arm, she jumped on a bicycle in the Jordanian refugee camp where she lives, riding for the first time since a missile strike in Gaza took her arm a year ago.

Sidra was injured while sheltering at Nuseirat School, one of several Gaza schools converted into makeshift refuges from Israeli strikes.

Her mother, Sabreen Al Bordeeni, said Gaza’s collapsed health services and the family’s inability to leave at the time made it impossible to save her hand.

“She’s out playing, and all her friends and siblings are fascinated by her arm,” Al Bordeeni said on the phone, repeatedly thanking God for this day.

Bioniks, a Pakistani prosthetics company, is helping victims of Israeli aggression

The arm was built over 4,000 kilometres away in Karachi by Bioniks, a Pakistani company that uses a smartphone app to take pictures from different angles and create a 3D model for custom prosthetics.

Anas Niaz, CEO, said that since 2021, the start-up has fitted over 1,000 custom arms in Pakistan, funded by patient payments, sponsorships, and donations. This was their first time aiding war victims.

Sidra and three-year-old Habebat Allah, who lost both her arms and a leg in Gaza, went through days of remote consultations and virtual fittings.

Then Niaz flew from Karachi to Amman to meet the girls and make his company’s first overseas delivery.

Sidra’s device was funded by Mafaz Clinic in Amman, while donations from Pakistanis paid for Habebat’s.

Mafaz CEO Entesar Asaker said the clinic partnered with Bioniks for its low costs, remote solutions and ability to troubleshoot virtually.

Niaz said each prosthetic arm costs about $2,500, significantly less than the $10,000 to $20,000 for alternatives made in the United States.

While Bioniks’ arms are simpler than US versions, they offer high level functionality for kids, and their remote process makes them more accessible than those from Turkey and South Korea.

“We plan on providing limbs for people in other conflict zones too, like Ukraine, and become a global company,” Niaz said.

Globally, most advanced prosthetics target adults and seldom reach children in war zones, who need lighter limbs and regular replacements as they grow.

Niaz said they were exploring funding options for Sidra and Habebat’s future replacements, adding the cost wouldn’t be too high.

“Only a few components would need to be changed,” he said, “the rest can be reused to help another child.”

Bioniks occasionally incorporates popular fictional characters into its children’s prosthetics such as Marvel’s Iron Man or Disney’s Elsa, a feature Niaz said helps with emotional acceptance and daily use.

Gaza has now around 4,500 new amputees, adding to 2,000 pre-war cases, creating one of the highest per capita child-amputation crises, per the UN humanitarian agency OCHA in March.

The Palestinian Bureau of Statistics reported in April at least 7,000 children have been injured since Israel’s war in Gaza began in October 2023

Local health authorities report over 50,000 Palestinian deaths, nearly one-third of whom are children.

The WHO reports Gaza’s health system is struggling due to Israel’s border closures, hindering access to critical supplies and specialised care amidst many wounded.

“Remote treatment bridges a vital gap, enabling assessments, fittings, and follow-up without travel or specialised centres,” said Asadullah Khan, Clinic Manager at ProActive Prosthetic in Leeds, UK, which aids trauma patients with artificial limbs.

Bioniks hopes to pioneer such solutions on a large scale but funding remains a roadblock and the company is still trying to form viable partnerships.

Sidra is still adjusting to her new hand; on which she now wears a small bracelet. “What I’m looking forward to most is using both my arms to finally hug my father when I see him,” she said.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2025