Deaf Gaza residents struggle to survive Israeli siege and bombing
I will show you Instagram videos from deaf people who live in Gaza who are trying to survive with dwindling water, food and constant bombardment from the Israeli military. I had someone who is familiar with Palestinian Sign Language help me with the translations.
[Video Clips] Credit: Instagram/Kamel.700
Kamel Ghazal: Israelis are flying over and dropping bombs. It will be shaking.
(Video shows a burning building in the distance, presumably from an Israeli bomb. The video also shows that Kamel’s phone is being charged by a car battery inside a dark room)
Kamel Ghazal: My family and other families next door received warning calls from Israel to get out. People screamed and ran out. Nothing & no one left behind. We didn’t know where or whose buildings would be bombed. We were scared and on alert.
All of us had to get out. Maybe a bombing will happen in one or two hours, we will see or not.
(Kamel is standing outside)
Kamel Ghazal: Let me be clear, it has been a blur - now there is Israeli bombing over there.
(Video shows smoke rising in the distance)
Kamel Ghazal: Now we wait and see where is next for bombing.
(Kamel shows that a water faucet doesn’t run any water. A video shows people lining outside to collect water from tanks)
Kamel Ghazal: A store for kabobs, chicken, etc has been knocked down to rubble. Look.
(Video shows a residential building completely toppled down to rubble. Cars pass by it.)
(Kamel is talking from inside a room)
Kamel Ghazal: The water is running low. I got up this morning at 8am and tried to look for more water with a hearing person. There were bombings during the search. I had no phone. I couldn’t record because my phone was left behind charging. I saw bombings and it’s hard.
I searched for water and filled up water by 2pm or 3pm. I became tired from the search and my mom said to take a break and try again tomorrow. I listened to her. It is hard and bad. I felt down/depressed.
(Video shows Kamel covering his nose and mouth with his shirt as smoke rises down the street with civilians walking away)
(Kamel is talking from inside a room)
I became very hungry. I asked my mother for bread but it was finished. My father said the food ran out. I searched for food and there were full lines at stores. I saw maybe 20 small pieces of bread and they were given in portions/ratios. I only had two or three little breads all day. I have not eaten since then. I didn’t want to finish all the ratios and run out of food.
It is impossible to talk or think clearly.
(Kamel is outside)
Kamel Ghazal: There was another bomb. Look at this.
(Video shows black smoke rising from a distance)
(Kamel is talking from inside a room)
Today is the 5th day. Tomorrow is the 6th day. No electricity and no food and no water. They are running out. Tomorrow is the 6th day. It is difficult to manage and to ration little food left. Two by two for my children. I am feeling stuck. It is hard. I look different. No mercy. It is impossible and hard. It is hard to explain. It is very bad. Life is hard and bad!
Video clip, Credit: Instagram/Gaza2.4
(Video clip shows a Deaf Palestinian reacting to an explosion. He directs his phone to show thick gray smoke rising from a nearby distance)
Alaaeddin Alnahhal: There was a bomb. Look at this.
(Video shows a very large building reduced to rubble. There are multiple people walking on top of the rubble trying to search for survivors)
Alaaeddin Alnahhal: Oh man I feel dizzy.
(Video clip of paramedics on a street)
The internet and electricity are cut off. I will record this and share later (when there is limited access). Israelis have bombed here.
Mohamed Elmasry: Hello, good morning. Remember you asked how do we charge our phones? Look, we are next to a hospital. This is how. See, multiple phones charge up to batteries.
(End of Instagram clips)
Alex (Daily Moth): You can imagine that for civilians in Gaza, there is not only physical pain from being hungry, thirsty, and the bombs, but there is also great mental and psychological stress.
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Alex (Daily Moth): I also wanted to share a video from last week that the World Federation of the Deaf highlighted as a serious concern — of a Deaf Palestinian who was detained by armed people with guns. I have to warn you that the video is graphic.
[Video] Credit: Facebook/World Federation of the Deaf Ry
WFD President Dr. Joseph Murray: Our Ordinary Member in Palestine has shared a video of a young deaf man unable to communicate with armed people in guns.
[Video] Credit: Facebook/جمعية رنين الصمت - رفح
(Video clip from WFD Member in Palestine. It shows the representative saying “This man is deaf.” The video then shows an image of a deaf man wearing a blue baseball cap. The next clip shows at least three armed persons wearing green clothes and black boots kicking the deaf man in the head while he is on the floor. His hands are tightly bound behind him. He is bleeding from the mouth and seems very overwhelmed. The next clip shows the WFD Palestinian member reacting with a pained expression)
[Video] Credit: Facebook/World Federation of the Deaf Ry
WFD President Dr. Joseph Murray: The WFD strongly condemn rendering deaf people incommunicable by tying their hands behind their back.
That’s all that I have to share from Deaf Palestinians for now.
Instagram Accounts referenced above:
WFD: https://www.facebook.com/Wfdeaf.org/videos/1340338120210576/