Although Nimr Abu Nimr suffers from severe hearing loss, the roar of Israeli reconnaissance drones — known locally as ‘Al-Zanana’ — is one of the few sounds that penetrates his ears, disturbing him most nights.
Abu Nimr returned to his home west of Khan Younis a few days ago, after six months of displacement following Israel’s military offensive on the southern city. Since his return, his life has been punctuated by the relentless buzz of these aircraft.
“The noise is unbearable most nights,” the father of 12 told The New Arab. “My family and I cover our heads with scarves, but it doesn’t help. We are always kept up late.”
While the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which went into effect on Sunday, has brought a temporary halt to large-scale fighting, it has done little to alleviate the psychological toll of Israel’s ongoing drone surveillance.
The presence of the Zanana drones — named after the buzzing sound they make — is almost constant in Gaza. For many, including Abu Nimr, the drones are a daily source of anxiety, reinforcing the trauma of living in a war zone.
“It feels like another war is being waged against us,” Abu Nimr said. “The sound makes you feel as if it is coming from inside your ears and brain. There is nothing we can do.”
Life under drones
Zanana drones have been flying over Gaza since the early 2000s. Initially used for surveillance, missile strikes targeting individuals and infrastructure began in 2004 and increased significantly in 2006 following Israel’s unilateral disengagement.
For many Gazans, the sound of these drones has become synonymous with impending violence. The buzzing overhead often signals an imminent airstrike, triggering intense fear and anxiety.
“Whenever the drones increase in number and altitude, everyone fears the worst,” Abu Nimr said, emphasising how deeply the sound has ingrained itself in his psyche.
Abu Nimr suffers from high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. He believes that the constant hum of the drones has made his health much worse.
“I feel as if these drones are bombing my brain and body. They make it impossible to be patient or endure,” he said.
Since Israel’s military offensive began in October 2023, Gaza has faced relentless airstrikes and widespread destruction. The war has claimed the lives of over 46,913 people and left 110,750 others injured, with more than 11,000 Palestinians still missing beneath the rubble.
The ceasefire brought renewed hope for many Gazans — most of whom were forced to flee their homes and live in camps during the war. However, they returned to find their neighbourhoods reduced to rubble and the ongoing whir of the Zanana drones.
“We hoped that with the ceasefire, the Zanana flights would stop completely, but even a pause during the day is a small victory,” Abu Nimr said.
The first phase of the ceasefire requires Israel to withdraw forces from central Gaza, allow humanitarian aid and displaced Palestinians into northern Gaza, and for both sides to release hostages and detainees, with the Rafah border opening for medical evacuations after seven days.
Despite these steps, for many like Abu Nimr, relief still feels distant.
Each day, he sits in a stall on the street opposite his home, selling basic essentials to passers-by and hoping for some relief from the noise. The street’s hustle and bustle, he hopes, might drown the buzzing sound that fills every room in his house.
Before the Maghrib call to prayer, the drones fly intensively and loudly, resembling the roar of bulldozers or tractor motors. Abu Nimr covers his ears with his hands to block the noise.
“The drones remind us that the war isn’t over,” he said. “We are not just waiting for the end of the genocide, but for a little peace from the noise that’s constantly in our ears.”
‘It felt like our heads would explode’
Gazans often complain about the loud noise from the reconnaissance drones. The constant sound brings psychological pressure and physical exhaustion as they try to escape it.
For Ramadan Adel, a young Palestinian, the temporary cessation of drone flights during the day has brought temporary relief. This has allowed him to relax, albeit temporarily.
“The noise used to give us headaches so intense it felt like our heads would explode,” said the 28-year-old. “Now, we get some rest during the day — but when the drones return at night, it’s unbearable. Still, ten hours of peace is better than twenty-four hours of torment.”
According to the Lebanese-based news network Al Mayadeen, a senior Palestinian Resistance source confirmed ongoing Israeli violations of the Gaza ceasefire, particularly through the continued presence of reconnaissance drones.
For Ramadan and others, drones are no longer just surveillance tools — they symbolise death, as they often precede bombings that lead to casualties.
“It’s all about mental torture,” said Ramadan, who believes that the drones are used to break the spirit of Palestinians, terrorising them and causing unnecessary suffering.
Psychological warfare
The effects of drones on Gazans are wide-ranging. According to Dr Abdullah Al-Khatib, head of the Psychology Department at Al-Aqsa University, these include behavioural disorders like nervousness and tantrums, as well as physical symptoms such as increased heart rate, trembling, pale skin, dilated pupils, and a constant sense of impending danger.
Ramadan recounted how he and his family experienced the constant noise while they were displaced between January and May 2024.
“We were constantly on edge,” he said. “Sometimes it felt like the plane was right next to us like it was in our room. The noise was so intense, it was like it was sleeping beside us.”
Dr Abdullah added that the social impact of the drones is also severe, with many Gazans experiencing isolation, fear, and avoidance of social interactions or public news. Cognitive effects include poor concentration, daydreaming, distraction, and difficulty solving problems or taking action.
He estimates that over 80% of Gaza’s population suffers from poor mental health as a result of the war, including the stress caused by the constant presence of drones. For children, the psychological toll is immense.
“The pressure, fear, and trauma they experience is indescribable,” he said. “Hearing the drones again triggers memories of past horrors, amplifying their pain and sense of vulnerability.”
The trauma inflicted on Gaza’s children is perhaps the most devastating consequence of the drone’s presence. While adults can, at times, tune out the hum, the youngest cannot.
Dr Abdullah recalled how the children around him were affected. “The truth is, they couldn’t sleep,” the young man said. “We could barely calm them down. They knew the danger of the drone and feared it would kill them at any moment. They’d run to hug us, trembling with fear.”
Though unmarried, Dr Abdullah witnessed the fear in his younger relatives. “Some of them were so terrified they wet themselves, others couldn’t eat,” he recalls. “For them, any sound, any noise, meant death was coming.”
Dr Abdullah explains that not only are Gazans exhausted from the constant psychological strain, but those who have witnessed the violence caused by drones — such as bombings and killings — are especially fragile.
“When they hear the buzzing, they believe the missile could target them,” said Dr Abdullah. “It makes them more tense, more terrified.”
At the very least, the drones cause significant distress due to their deafening noise, which sometimes feels as if the plane is specifically targeting them. Dr Abdullah explains that this relentless presence is not merely a matter of security — it’s a form of psychological warfare.
“The occupation knows the damage this causes,” he added. “The bombing may have stopped, but the drones continue — not necessarily for security purposes, but to torment the people of Gaza.”
Mohamed Solaimane is a Gaza-based journalist with bylines in regional and international outlets, focusing on humanitarian and environmental issues
This piece is published in collaboration with Egab
