Gaza, April 1, 2026 (WAFA) – What does it mean to be a child with autism in Gaza today, amid Israeli occupation raids, instability, and interruption of treatment? This question reflects a harsh reality faced by hundreds of children who have lost access to medical and psychological support in the midst of a war of extermination that has created one of the most complex humanitarian crises .
As the world observes World Autism Awareness Day on April 2nd, families in the Gaza Strip are struggling to protect their children amidst war, displacement, and the collapse of care and rehabilitation services. These families say the challenge is no longer limited to providing treatment or rehabilitation support, but has become a daily struggle to secure even the most basic safety and stability .
Daily care in impossible conditions
In the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, north of Gaza City, 16-year-old Lian Abu Qusa, who has autism, lives with her family inside the ruins of their destroyed home, in conditions that her family says have exacerbated the daily challenges associated with her health condition .
Her father, Hamad Qousa, says that even before the outbreak of war, his daughter needed regular medical and rehabilitative care, but the economic situation and scarcity of resources in Gaza prevented the family from securing that support .
He told UN News: “Even before the war on the Gaza Strip, my daughter Lian needed a medical treatment program, as well as a rehabilitation program. But the limited operational capabilities in Gaza, along with the family’s financial hardship, prevented us from meeting Lian’s needs . ”
” As we get older, the difficulties increase .”
He added that the challenges associated with his daughter’s condition have become more complicated as she has grown older, saying: “The older Layan gets, the more difficult her life becomes. It was easier to deal with her years ago, but the older she gets, the harder it becomes to control her and regulate her behavior within the family . “
The family says that the destruction of their home by the occupation has made caring for Lian more difficult, as the environment around her has become more dangerous and less stable, forcing family members to constantly monitor her .
Hammad Qousa said: “The situation of the house is now extremely difficult. Caring for her was already a difficult matter before; so how is it now? The risks have increased, and the state of destruction that the house is experiencing has added a new burden to our attempts to control and supervise Layan inside the house . “
He explained that the family had to monitor Lian around the clock, as one of its members had to stay with her inside the house during the day, which restricted the family’s movement and affected its productivity, given the inability to leave her alone to move around freely and safely .
Displacement disrupts treatment journey
In a similar case, Islam Shamali says that the war disrupted the treatment journey of her autistic son, Yahya, who had been making remarkable health progress before the war, but whose condition deteriorated after it broke out.
Shamali stated that her son had been receiving follow-up care at specialized centers before the war, and that the family also sought treatment for him in Egypt, where his condition improved significantly .
She said: “Before the war, Yahya used to visit specialized centers and follow up on his condition with doctors. We traveled to Egypt for treatment, and there his condition improved and reached advanced stages of improvement . “
The absence of routine exacerbates the challenges.
Shamali explained that this progress came to a halt shortly after the family returned to Gaza, just before the outbreak of war, followed by repeated waves of displacement and instability .
She continued: “After a year of treatment in Egypt, we returned to the Gaza Strip, and just one week later, war broke out. We were forced to flee, and Yahya’s condition worsened due to the constant movement from place to place; his condition deteriorated further, and he was constantly running away from the tent because there was no safe place for him in it . ”
She added that children with autism need a safe and stable environment, because they are often unable to perceive the dangers around them, and any disruption to their daily routine has a direct impact on their health .
She said: “Children with autism need to be in safe places because they do not understand the nature of the danger. Another reason for his deteriorating condition is that children with autism are naturally inclined towards routine, and the constant moving from place to place exacerbated his condition. In the end, we arrived at this place and rented this apartment – which is still under construction – even though the cost of renting it exceeds our financial ability; however, we did all of that to protect Yahya and preserve his life . ”
Shamali explained that her son has not been able to continue his treatment at any specialized center or with any doctor since the outbreak of the war .
When parents become “experts” by necessity
Experts point out that the war has deepened an existing crisis regarding the care of children with autism in Gaza, where the sector was already suffering from a shortage of qualified professional staff and a weakness in the rehabilitation and support services provided to this group .
Reem Jaarour, head of autism programs at the Dolphin Association for Education and Community Development, said: “Even before the war, we were already suffering from a problem related to the availability of doctors and specialists, as well as a shortage of care and rehabilitation centers. There were many challenges even before the outbreak of the war; so what is the situation now ? ”
She added that during the war, many families had to compensate for the absence of specialists, despite lacking the necessary tools and expertise to do so .
Jaarour said: “During the war, parents found themselves forced to assume the roles of supporter, caregiver, and even specialist; the situation was extremely difficult for them, as not all parents were qualified or able to deal with their children in this way . ”
She added that parents were unable to communicate with their children using the specialized methods employed by specialists, which resulted in the children losing a significant amount of psychological, emotional, and material support, which noticeably affected their communication skills and the course of their growth and development .
In the Gaza Strip, there are no accurate statistics or specialized surveys that determine the number of children with autism; however, professionals working in this field estimate that their numbers are in the hundreds, amid complaints about the weakness of rehabilitation services and the limited expertise available in care centers; a crisis that specialists say has worsened even more during the war .
A world that embraces everyone
In a message marking World Autism Awareness Day, UN Secretary-General António Guterres stressed that people with autism, like everyone else, must be able to be masters of their life choices and to help shape our shared future. “Their talents, perspectives, and contributions enrich the world immensely . “
He added: “If we want to ensure that people with autism have the opportunities they deserve to participate in society and thrive, we must have equality in education, fairness in employment, and access to health systems for all . “
On the occasion of World Autism Awareness Day, the Secretary-General called for a renewed commitment to building a more inclusive world for all .
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A.F.
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