The two million Palestinian children who have known nothing but an existence defined by checkpoints, night raids, detentions, house demolitions, displacement, abuse, intimidation, physical attacks, imprisonment, and violent death, are exposed to experiences greater than what they can bear, those experiences will shape their attitudes for a lifetime, and will expose them to mental illnesses and trauma.
“If there is a hell on earth, it is the lives of chileren in Gaza”
Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres
Children who saw death with their own eyes in Gaza
Last year May 2021 Israel started its aggression on Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem, which has led to aggression on Gaza, during which Gaza was attacked for 11 days until a ceasefire came into effect on 21 May.
Israel’s May 2021 aggression on Gaza was its fourth military aggression on Gaza, resulting in a humanitarian crisis.
Weeks of the offensive by Israeli polices and settlers against Palestinians in Jerusalem especially in the Al-Aqsa Mosque preceded the aggression on Gaza.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict exacts a heavy price, particularly on Gaza’s residents.
According to the Euro-Med Humen Rights Monitor, 91% of Gaza children now suffer from PTSD after the last Israeli attack in 2021, in 2021 Israel killed more than 65 Palestinian kids in a war crime.
As psychosocial support in Gaza is limited and the specialist support for kids is hardly available, Nine out of ten children in the Gaza Strip suffer some form of conflict-related trauma after the Israeli military attack ended over a month ago.
In addition to the large numbers of deaths and injuries among kids and women, 241 children lost one or both parents as a result of the bombing, about 5,400 kids lost their homes (completely destroyed or severely damaged), and 42,000 kids had their homes partially damaged.
Humanitarian action may not be the only thing needed in Gaza, but it is essential if we are to save the futures of innocent children of Palestine.
According to UNICEF Prior to the escalation in the last violence in Gaza, 1 in 3 children in Gaza already required support for conflict-related trauma. But the need for mental health and psychosocial support services for children has undoubtedly only grown. Meanwhile, the deterioration of water production capacity in Gaza due to electricity shortages means tens of thousands of children will require humanitarian assistance to access safe drinking water and basic sanitation, Gaza Strip has long suffered severe water problems, and the situation is now beyond dire. As a result of over-pumping and seawater seepage, less than five percent of the water drawn from the aquifer is estimated to be fit for human consumption. The aquifer is expected to become unusable by the end of the year.
Gaza also is suffering from an Electricity shortage which affected children’s life significantly and affected their ability to play, study or even live a normal life.
