The UN reports that almost 40% of children killed in conflicts in 2023 hailed from Gaza
Due to the war in the Gaza Strip, children suffer from difficult psychological conditions as a result of successive Israeli wars in the Strip. International rules stipulate avoiding harm to civilians and protecting children during conflicts, and the proportion of children reached 40% of the number of civilian casualties.
On November 13, UNICEF reported that more than 700,000 children in Gaza had been displaced. The severe humanitarian crisis, with reports that children are suffering from a severe epidemic of gastroenteritis due to a lack of clean water, has raised concerns among health officials and relief organizations. Speaking to reporters early in the conflict, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that “Gaza has become a graveyard for children. Hundreds of girls and boys are said to be killed or injured every day.”
Save the Children, UNICEF, and Palestinian health officials described children as being left with permanent disabilities, mental health problems, and amputations, with thousands suffering from dehydration, malnutrition, and respiratory and skin diseases. By mid-April 2024, an estimated 14,500 children had been killed in Gaza, and thousands more were buried under rubble. The Deputy Director of UNICEF described conditions for children in Gaza as “the most horrific” he had ever witnessed.
The ongoing crisis has also affected routine vaccinations, leaving thousands of children vulnerable, and additional challenges include inadequate shelter, lack of adequate winter coats, and the psychological impact on children’s mental health.
In the 2023 Palestinian-Israeli war, as a result of the Israeli military bankruptcy and its inability to inflict targeted strikes on the Palestinian resistance, the Israeli army systematically bombed homes, buildings, infrastructure, and civilians. Many children were targeted by the sounds of explosions in populated areas, which caused fear and panic among children, which is a flagrant violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
The ongoing war in Gaza and its impact on the lives of children, where the majority of victims are women and children, in addition to the siege and harsh living conditions.
Symptoms of severe trauma, in addition to the risk of death and from the psychological impact of war, symptoms such as convulsions, bed-wetting, fear, aggressive behaviour, nervousness, and not leaving their parents began to appear.
Children in the Gaza Strip, who have so far survived the Zionist killing machine, live an abnormal life entire of fear, horror, sadness and pain as a result of what they see and hear from the war surrounding them, which has had a profound impact on their morale and psyche. They live in a reality that can never be reality. Children of their age pay a heavy price with their lives.
The survivors also pay a heavy price with their morale. Scenes of bombing, burning, killing, demolition, and destruction are spread everywhere in the Gaza Strip, which in turn affects the children’s psychology and behaviour. Most children do not sleep out of fear. They feel pain in their limbs due to severe trembling, and the anxiety they experience at all levels will generate deep psychological trauma within them, which may be long and complex.
