A Voice Returned After Jaw Surgery in Gaza

For months, a 23-year-old man in Gaza lived with an injury that touched nearly every moment of his life.

A bullet had struck him in the face, shattering his jaw and leaving fragments lodged deep inside. He survived, but he could no longer open his mouth normally. Every meal was a struggle to chew. Every word sent pain from his jaw to his ear and down his neck. Slowly, he began speaking less and less. At night, the pain kept him awake, and in the silence a quieter fear grew: what would happen if the fragments were never removed?

“The pain wasn’t only in my jaw. It was in everything I did, while I waited for treatment without knowing if it would ever come.”

His family never stopped searching for help. But again and again they heard the same answer: his injury needed specialized care and resources that were not available. Then, at last, his case reached the Cardiac Surgery and Specialized Hospital operated by FAJR Global. There, visiting surgeon Dr. Naseem from Malaysia joined the hospital’s medical team to give him the care he had waited so long for.

Their goal was clear: to repair his jaw, remove the fragments, and give back the simple, everyday abilities the injury had taken.

“We want to repair his fractured jaw and remove the fragments so he can eat, speak, and return to his normal life,” Dr. Naseem explained.

The treatment unfolded in careful stages. The team first restored his jaw to its proper position and stabilized it, then removed the fragments and treated the wound. The operation also needed the right instruments and specialized supplies, which Dr. Naseem noted have become extremely hard to find in Gaza.

“The supplies we need for this surgery are available at this hospital, and that is rare. Very few places in Gaza can perform this type of procedure.”

After the surgery, his recovery showed in small, ordinary moments. The pain began to fade. He could chew his food again. Words came more easily. The nights that pain had once stolen became restful, and the fear he had carried for so long gave way to hope.

When he returned for his follow-up appointment, the change was unmistakable. He sat across from his doctor and spoke with ease as the doctor reviewed his scans and reassured him that his jaw was healing just as it should. As he reached the door to leave, he paused, turned back, and thanked his doctor in a clear, steady voice. It was the same voice that pain had silenced for so long.

“They didn’t just give me my jaw back. They gave me my life back.”

At just 23, being able to eat, speak and sleep without pain meant far more than recovering from an injury. It meant getting back a life that had been put on hold, and looking again toward the plans and dreams still waiting for him.

Learn about FAJR’s campaign for free surgery in Gaza and its Gaza hospital surgery project.