Aseel, 51, and Afaf, 33, are cared for by 30-year-old Raneem Abu Al-Eish inside a cramped tent in Shati, one of Gaza’s overcrowded displacement camps.
When the children’s cries outside become too loud, they occasionally laugh while others grow irate.
Aseel and Afaf both have intellectual disabilities and celiac disease, which affect their ability to speak, comprehend, and behave. These issues have only grown worse as a result of conflict and displacement.
They struggle to express themselves because their surroundings frequently overshadow them, Raneem explains. Although she is unaware of the term used to describe their condition, the symptoms occasionally resemble Tourette syndrome.
People laugh because it causes havoc.
Raneem, her two sisters, their elderly parents, and another sister living with her husband are all sheltered in the cramped tent.
Raneem is left to take care of her parents alone because Raneem’s mother is frail and her father is recovering from a broken leg from Israel’s relentless war on Gaza.
Up until recently, Israel destroyed their home in Block 2 of the Jabalia camp. Since then, they have relocated from their own homes to squat shelters before moving to a crammed UN school.
They are now sleeping in this tent, which allows the bitter cold to seep through its thin walls at night and traps midday sun.
In a crowded tent, privacy and dignity are almost unattainable. We make an effort to make the others leave when they need to, says Raneem. It’s not always possible, though. ”
That is only a small portion of Aseel and Afaf’s ordeal, which are regularly bullied because of their circumstances.
Raneem softly responds, “People don’t understand what my sisters go through.” They evaluate a person based on their appearance, so they’re just fine. They are not, though. They require dignity, patience, and care. ”
Aseel is blown away by life in the camp. She struggles to deal with sudden changes or noise, Raneem claims. She becomes distressed when that occurs; she yells, cries, and occasionally lashes out. ”
In addition, Afaf struggles with impulsive behavior and involuntary movements. Raneem goes on to say that she can become triggered by a small argument or a loud voice.
She claims, “She doesn’t know how to control it,” which is even sadder given how frequently children target Afaf for mockery.
Repeat humiliation occurs when using communal bathrooms. Every bathroom visit turns out to be spectacular. People laugh, make cruel remarks, and it destroys them, says Raneem.
Their protector was taken by Israel.
The family experienced its biggest blow six months ago when Israel seized Mohammad, Raneem’s 22-year-old brother.
After suffering a hand injury, Mohammad had to travel to Kamal Adwan Hospital for surgery. On October 25, Israel seizes Mohammad and makes a raid on the hospital while he was there. The family has since forgotten where he is located.
The sibling with the greatest sense of direction could be found in the outside world. He managed hospital visits, handled patient care, and dealt with aid organizations, Raneem explains. We are completely by ourselves without him. ”
The sisters have been subject to worsening food shortages and a lack of medical care since his arrest. Raneem claims that her voice pierces and that he was their protector. We now lack no one. ”
436,000 Palestinians were forced to flee after intensifying bombing in March and May, many for the second, third, or fourth time since the war started in October 2023. Each new wave of violence, often without food or medicine, means starting over for families like Raneem’s, who are already living in tents or shelters.
Even basic nutrition is fraught with danger for Aseel and Afaf. Gluten is not a food that gluten can eat, which causes intestinal damage.
There is little chance that Raneem, especially with Mohammad detained, will find vegetables or meat in a starving Gaza where there is only wheat-flour bread, which contains gluten.
Aseel and Afaf run the risk of severe malnutrition without gluten-free flour, and they only have received a small portion of the 80 tons of gluten-free flour that aid organizations have so far delivered to Gaza.
Closed borders, damaged roads, and malfunctioning distribution systems largely blocked it. According to Raneem, “the little that gets us is too late or too expensive.”
begging for compassion time and time again
Aseel and Afaf received routine medical care at Kamal Adwan Hospital prior to the war.
Their conditions necessitated special diets, regular therapy, and medication, which are now nearly impossible to fulfill.
Dr. Sara al-Wahidi, a psychiatrist, claims that Gaza’s marginalization of people with disabilities has significantly increased as a result of the war.
We’ve seen people with disabilities break away from their families in displacement areas, some of whom have been missing for a while and later found dead, she explains.
According to a report from 2025, at least 15% of Gaza’s displaced people are disabled, and they must navigate the temporary shelters that lack functional ramps, adapted toilets, and basic access.
Raneem also struggles with social stigma, and ignorance persists despite her efforts to talk to neighbors and seek advice from community elders.
People make fun of and provoke them. We only ask for understanding, she says.
Sometimes elders invite the sisters to their tents for a visit, providing them with brief respite from daily life when they are unable to receive consistent medical or social support.
From Jabalia to the west, and finally Gaza City, Raneem says, “We’ve been displaced repeatedly. We must start over every new location, explaining their condition and pleading for patience.
She remarks, “These are not just war victims.”
They are the world’s forgotten, the vulnerable. ”
