Israel's ongoing genocidal siege denies Gaza's coeliacs the gluten-free flour they need to survive

Coeliacs and people with wheat allergies in Gaza are facing a slow death due to being deprived of access to their dietary needs, particularly gluten-free flour and other essentials.

While all residents of Gaza are grappling with severe food shortages imposed by Israel's deadly siege, coeliacs and those with wheat allergies are unable to safely consume even the small amounts of food their families are managing to provide.

Seven-year-old Ibrahim Alkhazendar is one such individual. He suffers from coeliac disease and experiences severe allergic reactions not only to foods containing wheat but also from inhaling wheat flour.

His father, Tahseen Alkhazendar, explained that Ibrahim was diagnosed with coeliac disease when he was just one year old, after his weight dropped dramatically from 12 kg to 8 kg over three months.

In an interview with Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, The New Arab’s Arabic-language sister edition, Tahseen shared that while normal wheat allergy levels typically range between 15% and 20%, tests revealed that Ibrahim’s allergy level was 300%. This requires constant monitoring of his diet to ensure it remains strictly gluten-free.

He added that even before the war, managing Ibrahim's condition was a constant and exhausting challenge for the family.

According to Tahseen, sourcing gluten-free foods, including sweets and snacks, was not only difficult but also prohibitively expensive, as Gaza has long struggled under an Israeli-imposed blockade in place since 2007, which has left most gluten-free products scarce and forced families to rely on imports.

Tahseen emphasised that the ongoing war has made the situation even worse, with a complete lack of safe food sources for Ibrahim.

The family is now forced to rely on rice and potatoes as substitutes. However, these alternatives contain small amounts of gluten, which pose serious risks and long-term health complications.

Serious concerns 

Currently, around 1,288 individuals in Gaza are living with coeliac disease or wheat allergies. For this group, even accidental or repeated exposure to gluten can trigger serious health complications.

The consequences of breaking a gluten-free diet are severe. Individuals may suffer from intestinal inflammation, mucosal atrophy, anaemia, osteoporosis and malabsorption disorders. Left untreated, these conditions gradually damage the digestive system and can ultimately lead to death. There is also an increased risk of developing bowel cancer over time.

Before the current war, coeliacs in Gaza received around 25 kg of gluten-free flour per month, often in the form of corn flour.

However, the ongoing violence has disrupted these supplies, leaving families with few safe alternatives. The lack of gluten-free flour has forced those with gluten intolerances to consume unsafe substitutes, such as rice and regular carbohydrates.

The case of Mahmoud Ahel’s 11-year-old son, Mohammed, is similar to that of Ibrahim's. He was diagnosed with coeliac disease at six months old after suffering from colic and severe diarrhoea.

Mahmoud spoke about the extreme difficulty of securing gluten-free foods in Gaza, where residents are already suffering from famine and a severe food crisis.

He explained that even before the war, it was challenging to provide healthy food for Mohammed, and he needed to visit multiple stores to find specific items, often at high prices.

However, the ongoing war and the depletion of food supplies have worsened the situation.

Understandably, Mahmoud is seriously concerned that the limited supply of corn flour his family relies on is about to run out. It is a vital part of his son’s diet, but with border crossings still closed, no new supplies are reaching them.

A 'slow death' 

Concerned by the current circumstances, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) has issued an urgent appeal to protect the lives of coeliacs and those with wheat allergies, who are being deprived of the food they need to survive due to Israel’s restrictions on the entry of food supplies, humanitarian aid, and other essential goods.

Fadel Al-Muzaini, director of PCHR's Economic and Social Rights Unit, warned of the severe consequences of blocking the entry of various food supplies, including those essential for coeliacs.

He described the situation as a “slow death” for these individuals, labelling the deprivation of such essentials as part of Israel's genocide against Gaza's residents.

Fadel also noted that the number of wheat allergy sufferers in Gaza has increased from around 1,000 before October 7 to 1,288 by May 2025. The new figures include 510 women, 248 men, and 530 children, among them 36 individuals with disabilities.

The rise in numbers is largely attributed to prolonged stress, food deprivation, and a reliance on canned, unhealthy foods, all of which weaken the immune system.

He further explained that when coeliacs or individuals allergic to wheat consume gluten, it triggers an immune reaction that attacks and damages the lining of the small intestine, preventing the absorption of essential nutrients. The only treatment for coeliac disease is a strict, lifelong adherence to a gluten-free diet.

A crime against humanity 

Those under 10 years of age — more than 200 individuals in Gaza — are the most severely affected by this crisis.

Fadel noted that individuals with wheat allergies have faced critical health conditions since the start of the Israeli assault. Symptoms include severe abdominal pain, diarrhoea, fainting, dizziness, intense headaches, anaemia, and poisoning.

Furthermore, Fadel also highlighted that the deprivation of gluten-free food for coeliacs is not only a violation of the right to health and food but also constitutes a systematic crime against a protected group under international humanitarian law.

He referred to Article 23 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits obstructing the passage of food and medical supplies essential to civilian populations.

Additionally, Clause (c) of Article II in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide classifies such acts as genocidal, while Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court defines the deliberate deprivation of essential supplies to civilian populations as a war crime.

As Fadel put it, preventing the entry of gluten-free foods for coeliacs constitutes both a war crime and a crime against humanity, and should lead to international accountability.

This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition. To read the original article, click here.

Translated by Rose Chacko   

This article is taken from our Arabic sister publication, Al-Araby Al Jadeed and mirrors the source's original editorial guidelines and reporting policies. Any requests for correction or comment will be forwarded to the original authors and editors

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