Jono Maryono
Wateen al-Ajrami was just over a year old when the deafening roar of an explosion ripped through the flimsy walls of a storage room in northern Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp, where her extended family had sought refuge. The blast, part of an Israeli military operation in August of the previous year, has left an indelible mark on Wateen’s life, robbing her of her hearing and casting a long shadow over her future. Her mother, Mariam, recounts the terrifying moments, explaining that Wateen was standing near a door when the Israeli strike occurred. In a blur of fear, Mariam scooped up her daughter, witnessing the terror etched on the toddler’s face as she instinctively covered her ears and screamed.
Miraculously, there were no visible physical injuries. Wateen was not bleeding, nor did she have any broken bones or shrapnel embedded in her young body. The immediate aftermath offered a false sense of security. However, within two to three days, a chilling reality began to emerge. "I would call Wateen and she wouldn’t respond… I would speak to her and there was no reaction," Mariam recalls, her voice heavy with the memory of growing dread. Wateen would simply point to her ears, a silent testament to the damage wrought by the unseen force of the blast wave.
A subsequent medical examination by a specialist confirmed Mariam’s deepest fears: Wateen had suffered profound hearing loss. A comprehensive hearing test revealed an astonishing 85 percent loss in her left ear and a staggering 90 percent in her right, categorizing her condition as severe to profound hearing impairment. "It was an extremely shocking moment," Mariam states, her eyes welling up with tears. "Your child is healthy, just beginning to say her first words, and suddenly the doctor tells you she has lost her hearing." The physician explained that the concussive force of the explosion was the culprit, noting that Wateen’s case was tragically not an isolated incident he had encountered during Israel’s extensive military operations in Gaza, which have escalated significantly in recent months.
Since that fateful day, the al-Ajrami family’s life has been a relentless cycle of medical appointments and a desperate search for solutions that could potentially restore Wateen’s hearing. The young girl has undergone further examinations, including an MRI scan. Medical reports have been meticulously compiled and submitted to the World Health Organization (WHO) in the fervent hope of securing a medical referral for treatment outside the besieged Gaza Strip. Yet, the waiting game continues, a testament to the immense bureaucratic and logistical hurdles faced by Palestinians seeking specialized medical care.
An Unsafe Environment: The Pervasive Threat of Explosions
Wateen’s story is not an anomaly; it is a stark illustration of a growing crisis unfolding across Gaza. Estimates from United Nations agencies and international health organizations paint a grim picture, revealing a significant surge in children suffering from partial or total hearing loss directly attributable to exposure to explosions and relentless heavy bombardment. Medical experts operating within Gaza confirm that blast waves are a primary cause of inner ear injuries, often accompanied by associated brain trauma and severe psychological distress.
Prior to the current escalation of hostilities, rehabilitation centers and specialized associations in Gaza estimated that approximately 20,000 individuals were living with hearing disabilities. However, field workers and aid organizations now warn of a dramatic increase since the conflict intensified, with current estimates suggesting that between 30,000 and 40,000 people, a substantial proportion of whom are children, are experiencing hearing loss or impairment. These vulnerable populations face compounded challenges due to the systematic collapse of the healthcare system, exacerbated by damaged rehabilitation facilities and severely restricted access to essential medical interventions such as cochlear implants and hearing aids.
Organizations dedicated to supporting the deaf and hard of hearing in Gaza are reporting acute shortages of vital equipment. This includes hearing devices, batteries, and crucial components for cochlear implants, largely due to stringent import restrictions imposed by Israel. Compounding this crisis, many rehabilitation centers that previously offered vital speech therapy, psychological support, and educational programs have either been damaged beyond repair or forced to cease operations. This disruption poses a grave threat to the language development of children during their critical formative years.
International humanitarian law and various UN agencies consistently highlight the heightened risks faced by children with disabilities in conflict zones. Those with hearing loss, in particular, are placed in an even more precarious position, directly endangering their lives and amplifying their vulnerability. In environments saturated with the sounds of conflict, the ability to hear warning signals – such as approaching aircraft, artillery fire, or evacuation orders – is often a matter of life and death. When children lose this vital auditory "warning system," their capacity to detect danger and respond in a timely manner is critically compromised.
This perilous reality is tragically exemplified by the case of Usaid al-Shami, a three-year-old boy who lost most of his hearing around the age of four months during an intense period of fighting in southern Gaza. His mother, also named Mariam, describes his daily existence as one fraught with constant peril due to his inability to perceive his surroundings. "He was once attacked by dogs because he didn’t hear them barking," she recounts with palpable fear. "Children around him ran away, but he didn’t. He couldn’t hear them. Only God’s mercy saved him." She further shares harrowing accounts of Usaid narrowly escaping multiple road accidents, simply because he could not hear approaching vehicles. "I live in constant fear and anxiety, as if I am inside another war within the war," she confides.
A Growing Crisis: The Escalating Scale of Hearing Impairment
Fadel Kuraz, a sign language interpreter and a prominent disability rights activist in Gaza affiliated with the Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children, underscores the alarming escalation of the hearing loss crisis since the commencement of the current hostilities. Kuraz confirms that while pre-war estimates placed the number of individuals with hearing loss or disabilities at around 20,000, recent field assessments indicate a significant surge to approximately 35,000.
"As a result of continuous explosions and bombardments, the number has increased significantly," Kuraz stated in an interview with Al Jazeera. "These individuals are unable to integrate into society or communicate with their surroundings." He emphasized that a critical step towards mitigating this crisis would be ensuring unimpeded access to essential hearing devices, ranging from basic hearing aids to crucial batteries and maintenance tools, as well as specialized cochlear implant equipment.
However, as is the case with numerous critical issues plaguing Gaza, a formidable impediment stands in the way: the prolonged Israeli blockade on the Palestinian enclave. Despite a ceasefire that began in October, the blockade has not been entirely lifted, leading to severe and persistent shortages of vital medical equipment and supplies. "Current policies prevent the entry of assistive devices, cochlear implants, and spare parts, which significantly worsens the situation," Kuraz elaborated.
He further noted that many of the facilities that once provided crucial diagnostic and rehabilitation services have either been destroyed by military action or are no longer operational. This depletion of infrastructure drastically reduces the capacity to manage and follow up on new cases, particularly among children who require early intervention to prevent permanent developmental setbacks. "We are facing a real catastrophe," Kuraz declared. "Even hearing aid batteries are no longer available. People cannot find the simplest supplies needed to operate their devices." He issued a stark warning: if the current trajectory continues, an entire generation of children risks losing their fundamental ability to acquire language and communicate naturally, due to the absence of timely cochlear implantation and essential early intervention programs.
The Struggle for Access: A Race Against Time
Wateen al-Ajrami is currently undergoing speech and auditory rehabilitation sessions at Hamad Hospital in Gaza. Specialists are diligently working to help her respond to sounds and develop communication skills despite her significant hearing loss. She has, in recent weeks, received two hearing aids, which have provided a marginal improvement in her ability to perceive certain sounds. However, medical professionals are unanimous in their assessment that hearing aids alone are not a permanent or complete solution for her profound impairment.
Both Wateen and Usaid require cochlear implant surgery, a procedure that is not available within Gaza. Israel continues to impose severe restrictions on the travel of Palestinians from Gaza to seek medical treatment abroad. This is particularly critical for children suffering from hearing loss, as doctors strongly recommend cochlear implant surgery before the age of five to ensure its maximum effectiveness and to support normal language and speech development.
Wateen’s mother, Mariam, articulates the profound anxiety that time has become a constant companion. Doctors have repeatedly cautioned that delays in cochlear implantation can significantly hinder a child’s language and speech development, especially during these crucial early years. "I think about her day and night," Mariam says, her voice a weary testament to exhaustion and fear. "It’s not just about today… I keep thinking about the future. How will she hear? How will she learn? How will she speak?"
At home, the family strives to create an environment of unwavering support and special care for Wateen. Yet, the poignant reality of her isolation is palpable. "The children around her understand each other, they talk and laugh, and she just sits watching them in silence," Mariam observes, her heart aching with every silent moment her daughter endures. In these instances, Mariam feels her daughter senses an invisible barrier separating her from the world around her. At times, Wateen cries or becomes visibly upset, her needs and frustrations lost in the silence, leaving her family struggling to comprehend her distress.
"I don’t want anything… Nothing at all," Mariam says, her voice thick with unshed tears, her gaze fixed on her daughter. "Just for her to travel and receive a cochlear implant." Her simple, yet profound, plea encapsulates the desperate hope of countless families in Gaza, caught in a cycle of conflict and denied the fundamental right to health and a future free from the unseen scars of war. The international community faces a moral imperative to address the escalating humanitarian crisis and ensure that children like Wateen are not left behind, their potential silenced by the ravages of conflict and the stringent restrictions that prevent them from accessing life-altering medical care.
