Thirteen-year-old Kenan al-Sabaa sat with his father on Sunday in Gaza City, trying to adjust his broken hearing aid. The plastic tubing, rubber ear mould, and depleted batteries could not be replaced because of the ongoing Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip.
Before the war began in October 2023, Kenan attended the Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children. The facility offered specialist teaching and a community for hearing-impaired children. During the conflict, the Atfaluna building in Gaza City was partially levelled and turned into a shelter for displaced people.
Israeli military attacks forced Kenan’s family to flee to Jalaa Street. Atfaluna has since established temporary learning spaces, and Kenan attends one near his family’s current home. However, his father, Tamer al-Sabaa, said his son fell far behind after missing school entirely during the first year of the war.
Kenan now attends classes only three days a week for two hours a day. Tamer stated that these limited hours do not repair the massive educational gap his son has experienced. He also fears that a resumption of large-scale attacks will force him to keep Kenan at home permanently.
Being deaf makes Kenan’s movements dangerous because he cannot hear explosions, warning signals, or people around him. Tamer and his wife had to guide their son through unfamiliar neighbourhoods before Kenan learned to reach school independently.
The Israeli war on Gaza has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians and severely impacted disabled children in the enclave. Fadel Kuraz, a sign language interpreter and disability rights advocate with Atfaluna, said the conflict increased hearing-related injuries while weakening support services.
Kuraz stated that the baseline number of registered persons with hearing disabilities before October 2023 was around 20,000. Field assessments indicate that approximately 35,000 new individuals have suffered total or partial hearing loss due to explosions since the war started. Kuraz described acute shortages of hearing aids, batteries, ear moulds, and spare parts.
Children with visual impairments face similar obstacles as educational facilities remain closed. The al-Noor school in Tal al-Hawa, which served about 80 pupils, was badly damaged during the conflict. Duaa Omar Basheer, a former educational counsellor at the school, warned that an entire generation of visually-impaired individuals is at risk of illiteracy and academic loss.
In the Shati refugee camp, Wafaa Shreim said her 12-year-old legally blind daughter, Jana, broke her prescription glasses during a mass exodus in November 2023. The family could not replace the glasses due to the blockade, and Jana’s vision has since deteriorated to the point where she can barely see.
