More than 900 wheelchairs donated by two Australian charities to assist injured children have been blocked from entering Gaza for over 19 months. The shipments have remained stalled in warehouses in Jordan since February 2025.
The United Nations Children's Fund states that over 11,000 children in Gaza have sustained severe injuries, including thousands of limb amputations. Gaza now has the world's largest concentration of child amputees.
The Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization submitted an application in February 2025 to include the wheelchairs in an aid convoy to Gaza. Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, or COGAT, denied the request, saying medical equipment and medicines were not approved for that specific convoy.
The application remains marked as pending after 19 months, a status that blocks submission of new requests for the same shipment.
An Israeli government source said Israel had not blocked delivery of the wheelchairs. COGAT did not respond to specific questions about the shipment's status when contacted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
COGAT stated that it has allowed thousands of wheelchairs to enter Gaza without quantitative restrictions and that approximately 22,000 tons of medical equipment and medicines have entered since a ceasefire began in October 2025.
One source suggested the wheelchairs may be held under Israel's dual-use item regulations, which block goods authorities believe could serve a military purpose.
The donated wheelchairs have specialized designs for rough terrain to help users facing Gaza's rubble-strewn streets and are adjustable to accommodate growing children.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Balawi, a physician with the Palestinian Australian New Zealand Medical Association, disputed the dual-use concern. "The specialized wheelchairs pose no threat," he said.
Human rights groups have documented similar cases of medical and disability equipment being blocked from Gaza. Past restrictions have affected wheelchair batteries, X-ray equipment, and materials for manufacturing prosthetic limbs.
Other humanitarian items have also been denied entry, including portable toilets, sleeping bags, and tarpaulins.
