Every sound carries a story

Voices are tools for survival

War is not just a conflict between armies, but rather a complex human experience that carries with it countless suffering and pain. Amid this suffering, new ways of adapting and dealing with the harsh reality are being formed, and among these methods is focusing hearing in five directions to determine the location of the bombing, making the sky a fifth direction.

When an area is bombed, sound becomes one of the most important means that residents rely on to determine the source of danger. Initially, people learn to focus their hearing on sounds coming from the four traditional directions: north, south, east, and west. However, as the conflict escalates, individuals realise that the sky itself poses a new threat, and there is an urgent need to expand their attention span, as the sound emanating from the sky becomes the decisive clue to the impending danger. Which adds a fifth dimension to hearing.

When a house was targeted next to the UNRWA school where we were displaced

Maram says that “we were displaced in the Daraj neighbourhood on June 11, 2024, and on the second day, the house next to us was bombed, and there was a moment between us and death. Oh God, if you could see what happened to us and how much we cried while our feet were standing in terror. A month later, the Jews came to the Daraj neighbourhood and besieged us in the place, and our food became only rice. But the price per kilo was 40 shekels. After that, it increased by five shekels every day until the price per kilo reached 90 shekels. We now ate once a day to save food, and often remained hungry, but there was no way.”

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“We heard the sound of Jewish tanks for 24 hours. One time, young men were carrying water over the building. They saw the tanks. The snipers were in front of us. Anyone who opened the window or stopped there would kill him without thinking.”

“Oh Lord, they were displaced to another place and artillery bombed there. We may have heard their voice three times.”

“We woke up every night to the sound of bombing. One time we were sleeping on the third floor, and our bodies were trembling for fear of the tank hitting the ground. So we planned how to quickly evacuate the house when the sound got closer to us.”

As for Ahmed, he says that “returning to your home after displacement, despite all the pain, reflects the strength of the ties that bind you to your place. But if you find yourself forced to return to the place of displacement due to the threats of the occupation and the sounds of tanks and shells very close to your home, know that your home has been destroyed and they may have left no trace of its existence.”

Voices are tools for survival

People begin to distinguish different sounds that indicate approaching missiles or aircraft. For example, the sound of a warplane may be different from the sound of a shell, helping residents make quick decisions about how to act. This ability to focus on auditory also reflects the power of human adaptation in the face of crises. In a world full of pressures and threats, individuals learn how to read and analyse sounds, which gives them a chance to survive. People living in conflict zones become more sensitive to the sounds around them, which affects their daily lives. This focus may affect sleep, social communication, and even the mental health of individuals.

Ultimately, the experience of auditory focus in five directions - including the sky as a fifth direction - shows how war reshapes the reality in which we live. Sounds become not just noise, but tools for survival, means of adapting to harsh conditions.