A father searches hospitals for his autistic son after he vanished during displacement in Gaza’s ongoing crisis.
Gaza City: In early morning darkness, Abeer Skaik told her husband Ali that today they would search for their son Hassan. The 16-year-old with autism had disappeared 10 months earlier.
Ali took photographs of Hassan to Khan Younis, 30 kilometers south. Families wrapped in blankets waited at the hospital gate. Detainees had been released but none was Hassan. Ali asked everyone: “Have you seen my son?” Each person shook their head.
Before conflict began, Abeer built her life around Hassan’s routines. He woke at the same time, ate specific foods in order, needed the house cleaned exactly the same way each day. Hassan could not crawl or sit at 11 months. Doctors diagnosed autism when he was 5. Israel denied treatment outside Gaza.
Abeer taught herself therapy techniques and managed Hassan’s sensory overload. They created safe daily routines together. Hassan laughed when his father splashed him in the bath exactly how he demanded. He loved turning magazine pages and looking at restaurant menu photos for hours.
Bombs terrified Hassan. Each explosion made him press a shaking hand to his chest saying “Mama, my heart is scared.” Displacement shattered him four times. He screamed when they had to leave each time. “Why am I leaving my home?” he cried. While sheltering, Hassan carried water begging for a shower.
By April 2024, food and water ran scarce. Israel stopped food supplies. Abeer lost about 18 kilograms. Before vanishing, Hassan snapped at his mother about food. Only dry “bread” remained – mixed seeds once sold as animal feed. Hassan pushed it away shouting “What are you feeding me?” Then he knocked over the table and ran.