This article first appeared on our partner site, Independent Arabia
Every Israeli bomb that falls on Gaza and shakes the strip reminds Sara of her son Hussein. Deaf and non-speaking, Hussein had left their tent carrying a pot to bring back food.
When occupation soldiers suddenly opened fire at the hungry crowds lining for aid, Hussein could not heed the danger and was instantly killed in the line of fire.
Hussein’s lifeless body was brought to their tent so that his mother could bid him farewell and bury him. Since that day, Sara has lived in constant fear for the lives of her three remaining deaf and non-speaking children. Whenever she hears gunshots or explosions from raids, she is gripped by anxiety for her children.
Sara carries her grief inside her soul. She mourns a son who could not hear the sounds of raids and shells, the whizzing of bullets or the movement of armoured vehicles.
Her fear for her other deaf children’s lives has led her to forbid them from leaving the tent. She hopes to shield them from the dangers they could face in the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza.
Speaking to Independent Arabia, Sara said: “I went through a great deal of pain when I buried my son, and I don’t want to experience that again with my other children. They are all deaf and at risk in a war where there is nowhere safe to take refuge, so I refuse to let them leave our shelter alone.”
Whenever the tents where displaced people shelter are attacked, Sara holds her children tight, hoping to shield them from the shrapnel. She accompanies them every time they leave the tent.
She explains that she does this out of fear for their safety, as they cannot hear any sounds and could get hurt if there is bombing nearby.
Sara’s only wish was to find a way to help her deaf children sense the bombing and teach them how to avoid danger if a strike hits or gunfire erupts nearby. In this war on Gaza, there is no distinction between targeting hungry civilians and armed militants.
The story of Sara’s family reflects the harsh reality of life in Gaza as a deaf person. Their disability puts them at particular risk due to their inability to hear the sounds of air raids. They are paying for the price of this disability with their lives.
Sign language teacher Fadel Kurraz is desperate to help. Moving between the tents of displaced families, he searches for members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. When he reached Sara’s tent, she felt that her children had been given a lifeline. Fadel had started an initiative to train deaf people to sense bombing and respond in ways that might save their lives.
“When the war erupted, I volunteered to help the deaf and hard-of-hearing community pro bono,” says Kurraz. “I have worked with sign language for 33 years, and have built a strong bond with people living with hearing impairments. During this conflict, I realised that the community urgently needed practical survival training.”
He notes that deaf people cannot hear the sound of falling bombs and can suddenly find themselves trapped in crossfire. This drove him to visit displaced camps and teach deaf people how to avoid danger during military operations.
The deaf community often possesses exceptional visual awareness, which Kurraz uses as a foundation for his training. He taught Sara’s children how to react to bombings, shootings and incursions.
Accompanied by a number of deaf people, Kurraz explained to them in sign language: “When warplanes drop bombs at night, an orange light flashes for a second and this indicates an air raid nearby.”
In a practical demonstration, Kurraz lies face down on the ground, holding his arms above his head and stretching his legs. “This position can save your life and protect your vital organs,” he explains. “Covering your head with your hands can protect it from hard blows or flying shrapnel.”
“Stay still for a minute and before moving look around you. If people are moving steadily and calmly, stand up. If there is chaos, stay where you are and crawl to the nearest refuge or ask those around you for help.”
Kurraz knows that his students are busy with their occupations during the daytime, which makes it difficult to teach them how to deal with Israeli raids. “We must teach the deaf community how to discern shelling from the movements of the people around them.”
Typically, a strike is preceded by the sound of falling bombs piercing the air which makes a high-pitched whistling noise that can be clearly heard during the day or at night. This sound prompts Gazans to flee the area to avoid death or injury from shrapnel. Based on this pattern of behaviour, Kurraz began training the deaf on how to deal with danger as it arises.
“If the bombing is close by, hearing people can detect the sounds of explosions and will all start running quickly in one direction,” he explains to deaf individuals. “You must notice this behaviour, imitate them and go with them towards safety.”
Recognising that people have different capabilities, Kurraz advises deaf people to lie down if they are unable to run or leave an area targeted by bombing. He stresses the importance of following these instructions and that doing so could save their lives.
In an interview with Independent Arabia, he says: “This is the optimal response they must follow in times of danger to protect themselves. Otherwise, they are undoubtedly in mortal danger because deaf people are the most vulnerable in Gaza and the most affected by the war.”
The sign language teacher now plays a vital role in teaching survival strategies. “I have taught deaf people not to go out onto the street when there are explosions, but to stay where they are until the area is safe again and the rescue and emergency teams arrive.”
Kurraz teaches more than just survival skills. He has also been giving basic sign language lessons to the wider community in Gaza as well. He teaches them signs to indicate danger, such as shelling and explosions, and signs to tell deaf people not to move.
He says that he took the initiative to teach basic sign language to people living around deaf and non-speaking individuals in displacement camps, so that they could communicate with them and help keep them safe in times of danger.
Kurraz is able to undertake this work with the support of Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children, the only civil society organisation still providing services to the deaf and hard of hearing community in Gaza despite its headquarters being targeted. The organisation’s director, Fady Abed, says: “The deaf community in Gaza has not received the special international protection to which it is entitled during armed conflict.”
“They face intense suffering due to their inability to sense potential dangers in their surroundings. The Israeli army does not take any measures to protect them during the war.
“The number of deaf and hard of hearing people has risen from 20,000 to 35,000, and they all need training on how to avoid danger during military operations.”
Translated by Mirane Abou Zaki; Reviewed by Tooba Khokhar and Celine Assaf
