After months of waiting, logistical blockades and humanitarian negotiations, the first supply of gluten-free foods intended for celiac patients in the Gaza Strip has managed to arrive. The shipment, organized by the Celiac Association of Jordan as part of the coordination promoted by AIC and the European federation AOECS, is already being distributed to registered patients.
The first deliveries were intended for the most vulnerable subjects, especially children suffering from celiac disease, many of whom have been living for months without access to an adequate diet. In an area devastated by conflict and the shortage of essential goods, receiving gluten-free pasta, flour and products means much more than food aid: it means guaranteeing a concrete possibility of survival.
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The invisible crisis of celiacs in the Strip
The initiative arises from a dramatic health situation often ignored in international emergencies. According to data collected by Ard El-Insan, a Palestinian organization involved in child nutrition, around 1300 people with celiac disease live in the Gaza Strip, including over 500 children. For those suffering from celiac disease, gluten is not simply an inadvisable food, but a constant danger. Without a strictly gluten-free diet, the body develops intestinal damage, nutritional deficiencies, osteoporosis and potentially irreversible complications.
The testimonies collected in recent months by AIC paint a very harsh picture. Mahmoud, a young man originally from Rafah, explained that his mother Fathiya, 61, suffers from a serious form of osteoporosis aggravated by the inability to follow a correct diet. For months, many celiacs in Gaza have been able to feed themselves almost exclusively on potatoes and legumes, while fruit and vegetables have become economically unattainable.
Aid blocked and humanitarian corridors still uncertain
The first expedition represents an important result, but the situation remains extremely fragile. A previous test supply of gluten-free products had been blocked for weeks in Al Zarqa, Jordan, awaiting the necessary authorizations to enter the Strip. AOECS and AIC explain that the continuation of the conflict still prevents the creation of stable and safe humanitarian corridors. For this reason it is not possible to predict new shipments in the short term.
The appeal to the Italian institutions
At the same time, the associations are working with international bodies such as the Gaza Nutrition Cluster, the United Nations Food Security Cluster and the International Red Cross to have celiac disease recognized as a specific nutritional emergency. In Italy, the dialogue with the institutions continues to identify possible solutions for medical evacuation of the most serious cases. The objective is to prevent a disease that can be managed under normal conditions from turning into a silent condemnation in Gaza.
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