Gaza disabled children miss school as war damage and shortages disrupt specialist education

Children in Gaza with visual and hearing impairments are missing school because war damage, displacement and shortages have disrupted specialist education. In Gaza City, 13-year-old Kenan al-Sabaa is among those affected, after his hearing aid malfunctioned and the parts needed to repair it became unavailable. His family says the disruption has left him far behind in his studies and dependent on a reduced learning schedule.

The report says the plastic tubing and rubber ear mould on Kenan's device need fixing, but those items and depleted batteries are no longer available because of the siege on the Gaza Strip. Before the war began in October 2023, he attended the Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children, which provided specialist teaching and contact with other hearing-impaired children. The organisation's building in Gaza City was later partially levelled and turned into an overcrowded shelter for displaced people, reflecting the wider destruction of educational infrastructure.

Kenan's father, Tamer al-Sabaa, said his son did not attend school at all during the first year of the war. He now goes to classes only for a few hours a week, with the school operating three days a week for no more than two hours a day. Tamer said that is not enough to make up for the educational gap created by the conflict, and he warned that any renewed large-scale attacks could again force the family to stop sending him.

The case highlights how the war has affected children who need specialist support, not just general schooling. For deaf and visually impaired pupils, access to trained teachers, adapted learning spaces and functioning assistive devices is central to safety as well as education. The report says Kenan cannot hear explosions or warning signals, which makes movement through unfamiliar areas more dangerous and increases the burden on his parents.

The situation also points to the broader strain on Gaza's civilian infrastructure after nearly three years of war. Schools, shelters and community facilities have repeatedly been damaged or repurposed, leaving families to improvise where children can learn and live. In this case, a specialist centre that once served deaf children has become part of the displacement response, showing how humanitarian needs have overtaken normal services.

Atfaluna's temporary learning spaces are one of the few remaining options for children like Kenan, but they are limited in scale and hours. The report says his family was forced to flee to Jalaa Street in Gaza City, and that he now has access to a nearby temporary class. Even so, the reduced timetable means he is still missing much of the instruction and structured support he previously received.

The account also underlines the impact of shortages on children who rely on medical and educational equipment. Without batteries and replacement parts, a hearing aid can quickly become unusable, cutting off a child from both classroom learning and everyday communication. That makes the shortage of basic supplies a practical barrier, not just a logistical one, for families trying to keep children in education during the war.

What remains unclear is how long the temporary learning arrangements can continue and whether supplies for hearing aids and other specialist needs will become available again. The report says an October 2025 ceasefire reduced the number of attacks but did not stop them, leaving families uncertain about the future. For now, the main question is whether children with disabilities will be able to regain stable access to schooling and the support they need.

#Gaza #disabledchildren #specialeducation #hearingaidshortages #humanitariancrisis