Gaza Herald – Eleven Palestinian families from the Gaza Strip remain stranded in Jordan after Israeli occupation reportedly blocked the return of essential hearing device accessories for children who recently underwent successful cochlear implant surgeries.
The children traveled to Jordan on 30 October 2025 as part of a medical program coordinated with the World Health Organization and Jordanian medical institutions. The surgeries were performed during the first week of November, with plans for the families to return to Gaza shortly afterward.
However, according to the families, Israeli occupation later refused to allow the entry of critical external components required for the implanted hearing devices to function properly, turning the children’s return without them into a medically meaningless option.
At the Allenby Bridge crossing, families were reportedly given a difficult choice: surrender the cochlear implant accessories or return to Jordan. Eleven families chose to go back, insisting that the devices would lose their therapeutic value without the accompanying equipment.
Only five families managed to cross back into Gaza after reportedly being forced to leave behind personal belongings, including mobile phones, medication, and food supplies.
Field testimonies documented by reporters indicate that several children had already begun responding to sounds following the surgeries, marking a significant breakthrough after years of hearing impairment. Their rehabilitation process, however, has now been disrupted by the delays and restrictions.
Parents said their children had waited years for the opportunity to receive treatment, only for the process to become trapped in bureaucratic and security restrictions.
Jordanian official sources stated that the children’s travel and treatment had been coordinated in advance with international organizations and Israeli occupation, but agreements concerning their return were not honored, leaving the families stranded in Jordan for months.
Inside Gaza, patients with hearing impairments already face severe shortages of hearing devices, spare parts, and maintenance services. Medical specialists warn that interruptions in the use of cochlear implant systems could jeopardize the children’s newly restored hearing abilities.
The families stress that the issue is not about travel or temporary residence, but about a fundamental right to treatment, rehabilitation, and safe return to Gaza, where many of their homes have already been bombarded during the genocide.
They continue to appeal to international organizations and relevant authorities to pressure for the entry of the hearing equipment and to ensure the children’s unconditional return without measures that undermine the results of their medical treatment.
