TUFFAH, Gaza Strip — When the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip intensified in 2008, people with gluten intolerance, including celiac disease, lost access to gluten-free wheat imported via the Israeli border crossings. Gluten-free wheat is a staple for thousands of people with gluten intolerance around the world. With necessity as the mother of invention, after five years of investigation, two researchers from Gaza succeeded in producing gluten-free wheat in July 2015. Gluten, a substance consisting of two proteins, is present in cereal grains such as wheat. It gives dough its elasticity.
One of the researchers, Mohammed al-Askalani, chairman of the Department of Scientific Research and Community Service at Al-Isra University in Gaza, told Al-Monitor, “The idea behind gluten-free wheat production is that this staple food is a human need for many patients with autism or celiac disease in the Gaza Strip. We produce gluten-free wheat as a substitute for the imported product, which is often scarce in the local market due to the blockade and, if available, is sold at high prices that do not suit the patients’ economic situation.” Some people believe that a gluten-free diet positively affects the behavior of children with autism.
