Autism and war: Gaza families grapple with destruction and loss

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports from Khan Younis and other parts of Gaza that the war has badly disrupted the lives of autistic children and their families, with constant bombing, displacement and shortages of care undermining the routines they depend on. The article focuses on 16-year-old Ahmed Hatem al-Mahabeel and 19-year-old Muneer al-Haj, both of whom had been making progress before the conflict but have since experienced regressions in behaviour, panic responses and other distress linked to noise, instability and lack of treatment.

According to the report, Ahmed’s home, school and football academy were destroyed, and his mother says explosions trigger severe panic, self-harm and repeated sensory distress. She also describes health complications that developed during the war, including problems linked to malnutrition and delayed medical care. Muneer’s father tells Al Jazeera that medication shortages and shelling reduced his son’s ability to communicate and worsened episodes of screaming and seizure-like symptoms.

The story also cites psychological specialist Diaa Abu Aoun and autism-programmes head Reem Jarour, who say autistic children are especially vulnerable when routine, quiet and specialist support disappear. The article says Gaza’s rehabilitation system has been further strained by the destruction of the Palestine Center for Special Education and limited entry of equipment and supplies, leaving families to act as primary caregivers.

More broadly, the report places these cases within Gaza’s wider wartime collapse of health and education services, showing how children with developmental needs face heightened risks when safe spaces, medication and structured support are no longer available.