Amid relentless forced Palestinian displacement in Gaza under intense Israeli bombardment, taking care of children with special needs becomes even more perilous.
Abeer Hassan, looking after her autistic son, Abdallah, in Deir el-Balah, says the constant Israeli explosions terrify him.
“As the people started fleeing the area, we were also urged to leave,” Hassan told Al Jazeera.
“Abdallah used to watch cars filled with displaced families fleeing. He would come back to the tent very tense and nervous, and using sign language,” she added.
Hassan explained that they first reached a displaced camp called Ameera, which was full and had no space for their tent.
“Later, they told us to seek a place near Salah al-Din Street, despite the danger. My daughters and I were crying and Abdallah was getting tense and started making weird sounds. The scorching heat is too much and we don’t know where to go,” she said.
For children with autism, survival brings profound suffering, as Israel’s siege and restrictions make it extremely difficult for families [Screengrab/Al Jazeera] (Al Jazeera)
Since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023, the army has issued several forced evacuation orders for Palestinians living in the besieged enclave, often telling them to move to the southern al-Mawasi area, which has been designated a so-called “safe zone”.
However, al-Mawasi has also come under repeated attack by Israel, as has the exodus of Palestinians fleeing Gaza City to an unknown fate further south.
For Abdallah, the never-ending orders and sounds of bombardments mean he spends most of the time roaming the streets and has developed a new habit of pulling his hair. His family cut his hair short to stop him tearing at it.
“I began giving him prescribed sleeping pills again, to stop him from going outside during the heat. There is nothing else I can do to help him. I discovered that my mobile phone was broken two days before we were displaced; my phone was the only means to keep him calm with mobile games and videos,” Hassan explained.
“We were all under immense pressure … young and old. At one point, I asked God to take our lives together so Abdallah wouldn’t be alone. Not everything he needs is available here,” she pleaded.
In the nearly two years of intense attacks, Israeli raids have killed at least 66,005 people and wounded 168,162, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported on Sunday.
