Gaza's children feel death is "imminent": New report reveals harrowing impact of Israel's genocide
Gaza - Almost all children in Gaza believe their death is imminent and nearly half wish to die, according to an alarming new assessment released Wednesday, amid Israel's ongoing genocide.
The needs study, conducted by the Gaza-based Community Training Centre for Crisis Management with assistance from the War Child Alliance, traces the devastating emotional and psychological toll of Israel's 14-month assault on the children of Gaza.
The report is based on data gathered during a June 2024 survey of caregivers of 504 families with at least one child disabled, injured, or unaccompanied, as well as focus group discussions and key informant interviews.
The findings indicate that of Gaza's children:
- 96% feel death is imminent
- 92% are not accepting of reality
- 87% display severe fear
- 79% suffer from nightmares
- 77% avoid talking about traumatic events
- 73% exhibit symptoms of aggression
- 49% wish to die
"This report lays bare that Gaza is one of the most horrifying places in the world to be a child. Alongside the leveling 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 in a statement.
International community urged to act to protect Palestinian children
Israel has killed at least 44,805 people in Gaza, many of them children, since October 2023, according to data from the local health ministry. The British medical journal Lancet and other experts believe the true death toll to be far greater, upwards of 186,000 as of July 2024.
Relentless bombardment, starvation, and repeated forced displacements have left many surviving children with severe trauma.
UNICEF reported in February that at least 17,000 Palestinian children in Gaza were estimated to be unaccompanied or separated from their parents, although the number may be much higher.
"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," Pattinson said.
"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."
The UN General Assembly on Wednesday voted to pass a non-binding resolution for an immediate, permanent, and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza – over objections from Israel and the US.
Cover photo: Eyad BABA / AFP