Gaza’s 'deaf journalist' shares daily struggles under siege through sign language

As bullets fly overhead and the streets around him lie in ruins, Basem Alhabel uses his sign language to explain the destruction caused by Israel's war on Gaza to fellow deaf Palestinians and his followers on social media.

The 30-year-old Palestinian, who identifies himself on social media as a “deaf journalist in Gaza,” has gained a following of over 140,000 on Instagram.

His videos offer a rare view from inside the besieged territory, as he communicates the daily challenges faced by civilians, including fellow deaf Palestinians.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Basem Alhabel (@basem.in.sign)

“I wanted to share not just my voice, but the voices of deaf people who cannot speak or hear so that someone in the world might listen,” Alhabel said through his interpreter and friend, Mohammed Moshtaha.

The two met during the conflict and now work together to produce and share content from within the enclave.

Filming in areas hit by Israeli airstrikes, Alhabel often returns to a tent, where he edits his footage. His posts include images of emaciated children and civilians scrambling to collect flour from the rubble, scenes he says reflect the worsening humanitarian situation.

“In this video, people are collecting flour mixed with sand,” he signs in one clip, referencing widespread food shortages. His coverage echoes concerns raised by global aid agencies, including warnings from famine monitors that Gaza is on the brink of widespread starvation.

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Alhabel and his family were displaced early in the war and spent over a year living in a makeshift shelter set up in a school. “There wasn’t even space to rest properly,” he said.

The war, now in its second year, has left vast parts of Gaza in ruins. Gaza’s health ministry says more than 60,000 people have been killed since the conflict began, a figure that includes combatants, but also a large number of civilians.