Wednesday, 13 August, 2025
Basem Alhabel stood amid the shattered ruins of Gaza, bullets whizzing past as people lay flat on the ground around him. With unwavering courage, he filmed himself using sign language, urgently explaining the horrors of war to fellow deaf Palestinians and thousands of followers on social media.
At 30, Basem calls himself a “deaf journalist in Gaza” on Instagram, where his mission is clear: to give voice to those silenced by both conflict and disability. Through his videos, he shines a light on the relentless Israeli air strikes, the crushing starvation gripping his people, and the deepening despair in Gaza — reaching Palestinians and special needs communities worldwide who might otherwise remain unheard, according to Reuters.
For nearly two years, Gaza has been battered by relentless bombardment, leaving a death toll surpassing 60,000, according to Gaza’s health authorities. Yet, for many here, the world still seems deaf to their suffering. Basem’s voice — through his hands and heart — seeks to break that silence.
“I wished to get my voice out to the world and the voices of the deaf people who cannot speak or hear, to get their voice out there, so that someone can help us,” he shared, speaking through his friend and interpreter Mohammed Moshtaha, whom he met amid the chaos of war.
With every video he films — whether from the rubble or a crowded tent shelter — Basem offers a glimpse of a world most people can barely imagine. His Instagram page, followed by 141,000 people, features haunting images of starving children, emaciated and desperate, and everyday scenes of survival that defy belief.
One such video shows people desperately gathering flour scattered on the ground, mixed with sand — a heart-wrenching symbol of hunger creeping through Gaza. “As you can see, people are collecting flour mixed with sand,” Basem signed, his hands trembling with emotion.
Displaced from his home when the conflict erupted, Basem and his family sought refuge in a school turned shelter, living in cramped tents with barely any space to rest. “There was no space for a person to even rest a little. I stayed in that school for a year and a half,” he recounted.
Despite the ongoing violence and the looming plan by Israel’s political security cabinet to take control of Gaza City, Basem remains resolute. There is no ceasefire in sight, but his work — a lifeline of hope and truth — continues.
“We want this situation to be resolved so that we can all be happy, so I can feed my children, and life can be beautiful,” he signed, a simple yet profound plea that echoes the hopes of countless Gazans caught in the crossfire.
Basem Alhabel’s story is a powerful reminder that even in the darkest times, the human spirit finds a way to speak — sometimes without words, but always with courage.
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Basem Alhabel stood amid the shattered ruins of Gaza, bullets whizzing past as people lay flat on the ground around him. With unwavering courage, he filmed himself using sign language, urgently explaining the horrors of war to fellow deaf Palestinians and thousands of followers on social media.
At 30, Basem calls himself a “deaf journalist in Gaza” on Instagram, where his mission is clear: to give voice to those silenced by both conflict and disability. Through his videos, he shines a light on the relentless Israeli air strikes, the crushing starvation gripping his people, and the deepening despair in Gaza — reaching Palestinians and special needs communities worldwide who might otherwise remain unheard, according to Reuters.
For nearly two years, Gaza has been battered by relentless bombardment, leaving a death toll surpassing 60,000, according to Gaza’s health authorities. Yet, for many here, the world still seems deaf to their suffering. Basem’s voice — through his hands and heart — seeks to break that silence.
“I wished to get my voice out to the world and the voices of the deaf people who cannot speak or hear, to get their voice out there, so that someone can help us,” he shared, speaking through his friend and interpreter Mohammed Moshtaha, whom he met amid the chaos of war.
With every video he films — whether from the rubble or a crowded tent shelter — Basem offers a glimpse of a world most people can barely imagine. His Instagram page, followed by 141,000 people, features haunting images of starving children, emaciated and desperate, and everyday scenes of survival that defy belief.
One such video shows people desperately gathering flour scattered on the ground, mixed with sand — a heart-wrenching symbol of hunger creeping through Gaza. “As you can see, people are collecting flour mixed with sand,” Basem signed, his hands trembling with emotion.
Displaced from his home when the conflict erupted, Basem and his family sought refuge in a school turned shelter, living in cramped tents with barely any space to rest. “There was no space for a person to even rest a little. I stayed in that school for a year and a half,” he recounted.
Despite the ongoing violence and the looming plan by Israel’s political security cabinet to take control of Gaza City, Basem remains resolute. There is no ceasefire in sight, but his work — a lifeline of hope and truth — continues.
“We want this situation to be resolved so that we can all be happy, so I can feed my children, and life can be beautiful,” he signed, a simple yet profound plea that echoes the hopes of countless Gazans caught in the crossfire.
Basem Alhabel’s story is a powerful reminder that even in the darkest times, the human spirit finds a way to speak — sometimes without words, but always with courage.
Comments
