Gaza children face rising hearing loss from blast injuries

In northern Gaza’s Jabalia camp, infant Wateen al‑Ajrami lost almost all hearing after an Israeli strike in August 2023. Her mother, Mariam, recalled, “I would call Wateen, and she wouldn’t respond… I would speak to her, and there was no reaction,” and later added, “It was an extremely shocking moment… Your child is healthy, just beginning to say her first words, and suddenly the doctor tells you she has lost her hearing.” Medical specialists diagnosed severe to profound hearing loss (85‑90 %). Similar cases are proliferating; United Nations health agencies estimate that before the war about 20,000 Gaza residents had hearing disabilities, a number now believed to have risen to 30,000‑40,000, many of them children. The conflict‑damaged health system, shortages of hearing aids, batteries and cochlear‑implant parts, and import restrictions are preventing timely treatment, leaving families awaiting referrals from the World Health Organization.