Gaza children running out of time to treat blast-induced hearing loss

Gaza children increasingly developing hearing impairments due to repeated exposure to blasts, with limited access to medical care. Wateen al-Ajrami who suffered hearing loss in both her ears after an Israeli strike hit near the building she was sheltering at, in Jabalia. northern Gaza

Maram Humaid reports in Al Jazeera on 16 June 2026:

Wateen al-Ajrami was just more than a year old when the blast shook the simple storage room in northern Gaza’s Jabalia that her extended family were sheltering in.

Her mother, Mariam, explains that Wateen was standing next to a door at the moment of the Israeli strike in August last year.  Mariam grabbed Wateen, seeing the fear in her eyes as the child covered her ears and screamed.  But there were no apparent physical injuries. Wateen wasn’t bleeding or had any fractures, and there was no shrapnel embedded in her.

Two or three days later, Mariam and her family started noticing something alarming.  “I would call Wateen and she wouldn’t respond… I would speak to her and there was no reaction,” Mariam says, adding that Wateen would point to her ears.

A hearing test scheduled by a medical specialist soon revealed what Mariam had begun to fear: Wateen had almost completely lost her hearing due to the impact of the explosion.  The young girl had suffered approximately 85 percent hearing loss in her left ear, and 90 percent in her right ear, generally classified as between severe and profound hearing loss.

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Unsafe environment
Estimates from United Nations agencies and health organisations show a sharp rise in children in Gaza suffering partial or total hearing loss due to exposure to explosions and heavy bombardment.

Blast waves are a leading cause of inner ear injuries, along with related brain trauma and severe psychological shock, according to medical groups operating in Gaza.

Data from rehabilitation centres and specialised associations in Gaza suggest that before Israel’s war, about 20,000 people were estimated to be living with hearing disabilities.

However, field workers warn the number has risen sharply since the war began, with estimates reaching 30,000 to 40,000 people with hearing loss or impairment, including many children. These groups face severe challenges due to the collapse of the healthcare system brought on by the war, damaged rehabilitation centres, and limited access to cochlear implants and hearing aids.

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