Shati Refugee Camp in Gaza - In a suffocating tent in Shati, one of Gaza’s overcrowded displacement camps, Raneem Abu Abu al-Eish, 30, cared for her sister Aseel, 51 and AFAF, 33.

They approach raneem, sometimes laughing, and when other kids cried too loudly.

Aseel and AFAF suffer from celiac disease and intellectual disabilities that impair their speech, understanding and behavior – only under the pressure of war and displacement.

Raneem explains that they try to express themselves and are often overwhelmed by the environment. Although she does not know the medical term for the condition, the symptoms are sometimes mirrored Tourette syndrome.

"People laughed and ruined them"

The narrow tent avoids seven family members: Raneem, her two sisters, their older parents and another sister and husband.

Raneem's mother is weak, and her father is still recovering from the damage suffered in Israel's ruthless war against Gaza, while Raneem takes care of them alone.

The family used to live in the 2nd block of Camp Jabalya until Israel destroyed their home eight months ago. Since then, they moved from relatives’ homes to makeshift shelter and then to a overcrowded UN school.

Now they are in this tent, which plagues the stuffy heat at noon and allows the painful cold to seep into the thin walls of the night.

In a crowded tent, privacy and dignity are nearly impossible. “When they need to change, we try to get other people out,” Raneem said. “But that’s not always possible.”

However, this is only part of the ordeal of Aseel and AFAF, who are bullied every day due to their conditions.

"People don't understand what my sisters have gone through," Ryanm whispered. "They judge in the way they show up, assuming they're not bad. But that's not. They need care, patience, dignity."

Life in the camp overwhelms Al. "She finds it's hard to cope with noise or sudden changes," Raneem explains. "When this happens, she gets frustrated - she yells, she cries, and sometimes lashes."

Meanwhile, AFAF struggles with involuntary motor and impulsive behavior. "A little argument or loud voice will trigger her," Ryanm added.

"She doesn't know how to control it," she said, which makes AFAF often laughed at, especially children, even more sad.

Using a public bathroom can bring repeated humiliation. "Every bathroom visit becomes a spectacle. People laugh, express cruel remarks, and that destroys them."

Israel occupied their protectors

The biggest blow to the family was six months ago when Raneem's 22-year-old brother Mohammed was taken away by Israel.

Mohammad went to Kamal Adwan Hospital for surgery after being injured. While Israel was there, Israel attacked the hospital on October 25 and captured Muhammad. Since then, the family has no idea about his whereabouts.

Mohammad is the best at training outsiders. "He got their medicine, hosted hospital visits, handled aid agencies," Raneem explained. "We were totally alone without him."

Since his detention, the sisters have faced severe food shortages and lack of medical services. “He is their protector,” Raneem said, his voice ruptured. “Now we have no one.”

Between March and May, the intensified bombing once again displaced 436,000 Palestinians, many of which were the second, third or fourth time since the war began in October 2023. For families like Raneem (already in a tent or shelter), every new wave means starting again, often without food or medicine.

For Aseel and AFAF, even basic nutrition is full of threats. Intraperitoneal patients cannot eat gluten, which can damage their small intestine.

In a hungry Gaza Strip, where there is little to eat except wheat bread containing gluten, Raneem has little chance to find vegetables or meat for the sisters, especially Muhammad was detained.

Without gluten-free flour, ASEEL and AFAF may risk severe malnutrition, their 80 tons of gluten-free flour have paid a small amount of aid agencies and have been shipped to Gaza so far.

Most of them are blocked by closed boundaries, damaged roads and damaged distribution systems. "There are very few things that arrive at us that are too expensive or too late," Raneem said.

Begging for empathy again and again

Before the war, Aseel and AFAF conducted routine medical services at Kamal Adwan Hospital.

Their condition requires special diets, medications and routine therapies and now it almost needs to be met.

Psychological expert Dr. Sara al-Wahidi said the war has sharply worsened the marginalization of people with disabilities in Gaza.

“We have seen people with disabilities and displaced areas (some people who have been missing for a long time, sadly the deceased person was discovered later,” she explained.

A 2025 report estimates that at least 15% of the displaced Gaza population live with disabilities and they must be in temporary shelters, whether in camps, schools or hospitals, lack of properly functioning ramps, adaptive toilets and basic accessibility.

Raneem also struggles with social stigma, despite her efforts – talking to neighbors and seeking support from elders in the community – ignorance remains.

"People provoke them, laugh at them. All we ask for is understanding," she said.

Some elders occasionally invite sisters to visit their tents, a brief breathing moment in everyday reality, without consistent medical or social support.

“We are displaced again and again, from Jabalia to the west and then Gaza City.” “Every new place, we have to start over, explain their situation, beg for patience.

"These are not just victims of war," she pleaded.

“They are forgotten by the world for the vulnerable people.”