A staggering 96 per cent of vulnerable children in Gaza feel that death is imminent, according to a study conducted by a non-profit.
The study revealed the immense psychological trauma faced by children in Gaza due to relentless Israeli bombing, displacement, and loss over the past year.
The needs assessment, which surveyed over 500 children, parents and caregivers from families with at least one disabled, injured, or unaccompanied child, was conducted by the Gaza-based NGO Community Training Centre for Crisis Management (CTCCM) with support from the War Child Alliance charity.
According to the study, 92 per cent of respondents struggled to accept their harsh realities, 87 per cent experience severe fear, and 79 per cent suffer from recurring nightmares. Nearly half – 49 per cent – expressed a desire to die because of the war, while others exhibited symptoms like aggression, withdrawal, and pervasive anxiety.
The study shows that more than a year of displacement, loss, and relentless bombing has left Gaza’s most vulnerable children severely psychologically traumatised.
“We asked injured, separated, and disabled children and their caregivers about the toll of war on their lives. Their answers are devastating – but sadly, not surprising. This study reinforces what we have seen, heard, and witnessed for more than a year. Children are traumatised by this war, and we must respond,” a spokesperson from CCTM said in a statement.
Conducted in June this year across 504 households, the survey reveals that 88 per cent of families have experienced repeated displacement, with 21 per cent forced to move six or more times.
Most families survive on just £100 a month – or £3.28 per day – while struggling with skyrocketing prices for food and essentials due to the ongoing blockade and limited humanitarian aid, the study revealed. It also noted that the economic impact of the war was evident, with 80 per cent of breadwinners unemployed.
The study found that nearly one in four families – or 24 per cent – are now headed by a child aged 16 or younger.
“This report lays bare that Gaza is one of the most horrifying places in the world to be a child. Alongside the levelling of hospitals, schools and homes, a trail of psychological destruction has caused wounds unseen but no less destructive on children who hold no responsibility for this war,” Helen Pattinson, the CEO of War Child UK said.
She said: “The international community must act now before the child mental health catastrophe we are witnessing embeds itself into multi-generational trauma, the consequences of which the region will be dealing with for decades to come. A ceasefire must be the immediate first step to allow War Child and other agencies to effectively respond to the intense psychological damage children are experiencing.”
Local health officials in Gaza report that Israel’s retaliatory offensive has claimed the lives of over 44,000 Palestinians in Gaza, with women and children accounting for more than half of the fatalities.
