Gaza Herald _The impact of Israel’s war on Gaza extends far beyond the rising number of people killed and injured. Thousands of Palestinians are now living with permanent hearing damage caused by relentless bombardment, creating what medical professionals describe as a growing but largely overlooked public health crisis.
Powerful explosions and the intense pressure waves they generate have led to a sharp increase in hearing-related injuries, while Gaza’s devastated healthcare system struggles to provide even basic diagnostic and treatment services.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, an estimated 55,000 people in Gaza are now living with hearing impairments. Nearly 35,000 of those cases have been recorded since the war began, compared with roughly 20,000 cases before the conflict.
One Explosion Changed His Life
Forty-six-year-old Abu Ahmad Al-Masri, a resident of Gaza City, says he lost much of his hearing after an Israeli airstrike hit a house next to his own.
“Immediately after the explosion, I heard a loud ringing in my ears, and my hearing was never the same,” he says. “I constantly ask people to repeat themselves, and sometimes I can’t understand what they’re are saying at all, especially in crowded places.”
Al-Masri says he has sought medical help at several healthcare centers, but the lack of equipment and hearing devices has left him with few options.
“I’ve learned to live with it,” he says. “But it affects both my work and my daily life.”
A Child Waiting to Hear Again
Umm Mohammad says her eight-year-old son developed severe hearing loss after an Israeli strike hit the area where the family had sought shelter.
“After the bombing, he stopped responding whenever I called his name,” she recalls. “At first, I thought he was suffering from psychological trauma, but medical examinations later confirmed that he had significant hearing loss.”
She says doctors had planned to begin treatment and possibly perform a cochlear implant procedure before the war disrupted medical services.
“Everything has been destroyed,” she says. “I’m afraid he’ll lose his future because he can no longer hear or communicate with other children the way he used to.”
Doctors Warn of ‘Acute Acoustic Trauma’
Dr. Mohammad Al-Khatib, an ear, nose, and throat specialist, says blast waves produced by explosions can cause what is medically known as acute acoustic trauma.
He explains that the sudden pressure generated by explosions can rupture the eardrum or permanently damage the delicate sensory cells inside the cochlea, potentially leading to irreversible hearing loss.
According to Al-Khatib, most patients experience partial hearing loss accompanied by persistent ringing in the ears and difficulty understanding speech.
Cases of complete hearing loss are more common among people who were very close to the explosion. These injuries may result from damage to the auditory nerve, destruction of sensory cells inside the cochlea, or severe head trauma caused by the blast.
Diagnosis and Treatment Become Increasingly Difficult
Al-Khatib says diagnosing hearing loss typically begins with a clinical examination by an ear, nose, and throat specialist, followed by specialized tests, including middle-ear pressure assessments, otoacoustic emissions testing, pure-tone audiometry, and Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) testing, which is particularly important for children and patients who cannot undergo conventional hearing evaluations.
Treatment depends on both the type of injury and how quickly medical care is provided. Options may include medication, surgery, hearing aids for mild and moderate cases, or cochlear implants for patients with severe or complete hearing loss.
However, he says the ongoing war, combined with shortages of medical equipment and essential supplies, has made access to these treatments increasingly difficult.
Healthcare Infrastructure Also Under Attack
According to Al-Khatib, the war has affected not only patients but also Gaza’s hearing care infrastructure.
Specialized hearing clinics and diagnostic equipment have been damaged or destroyed, forcing many audiology services to shut down.
The destruction of cochlear implant devices, spare parts, and related equipment has also prevented dozens of children awaiting implant surgeries from receiving treatment, even as the number of hearing injuries continues to rise.
A Lasting Impact Beyond Health
Medical professionals warn that hearing loss affects much more than physical health.
Many patients face long-term challenges communicating, learning, working, and participating in everyday life, while children risk falling behind socially and academically because of untreated hearing impairment.
Health experts warn that as long as the war continues, the number of people living with hearing loss is expected to grow, leaving Gaza with one of the conflict’s most enduring and least visible public health crises.
