For deaf Palestinians in Gaza, the ongoing war presents a silent nightmare. Unable to hear the sounds of missiles, gunfire, or air raid warnings, they face heightened risks in an already dangerous environment. One mother, Sara, lost her deaf son Hussein when he was caught in gunfire while queuing for aid. He could not hear the danger and was killed instantly.
Sara now lives in constant fear for her three remaining deaf children. She forbids them from leaving their tent alone, accompanying them every time they step out. 'I went through a great deal of pain when I buried my son, and I don’t want to experience that again,' she told Independent Arabia. 'They are all deaf and at risk in a war where there is nowhere safe to take refuge.'
Sign language teacher Fadel Kurraz has launched an initiative to train deaf people to sense bombings and respond to save their lives. With 33 years of experience, he visits displacement camps to teach practical survival skills. 'The deaf community urgently needed practical survival training,' he said.
Kurraz uses the deaf community's exceptional visual awareness as a foundation. He teaches them to recognise an orange flash at night as a sign of an air raid, and to lie face down with arms over their heads to protect vital organs from shrapnel. 'Stay still for a minute, and before moving, look around you,' he instructs in sign language.
The training has been a lifeline for families like Sara's. She described Kurraz's arrival as a lifeline for her children. However, challenges remain, as deaf individuals are often occupied during the day, making it difficult to learn how to discern shelling from the movements of people around them.
