Mobilizing global support for Gaza’s mental health emergency
A man embraces an injured child as a medic speaks to a woman following Israeli bombardment on Bureij, at a trauma ward at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, 4 June 2024
The Palestine-Global Mental Health Network writes in Mondoweiss on 20 July 2024:
The Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP) report covering October 2023-June 2024 paints a stark picture of the severe mental health crisis unfolding in Gaza due to the ongoing onslaught which has now lasted for over nine months. Over 2.2 million people in Gaza, besieged, bombarded, starved and displaced, are also grappling with the destructive psychological impact of this relentless war.
Since October 2023, when Israel initiated its latest and deadliest military assault, the people of Gaza have been subjected to a horrifying new reality: Israel has carried out unprecedented airstrike attacks targeting neighborhoods, cities, towns, affecting mostly innocent civilians, including women, children, the elderly, and those with disabilities. This onslaught has not only demolished physical infrastructures but has dismantled the very fabric of normal life, leaving behind a trail of psychological scars. In the desperate struggle for survival, these harms may seem to be secondary but they will be utterly consequential to any prospect of long-term recovery for Gaza’s citizens and their families and for the possibility to recreate community structures.
The psychological toll on a besieged population
While easily overlooked in the wake of death and destruction, the mental health impacts are profound and far-reaching. The report states, “People are more prone to have a variety of mental health conditions during and after disasters,” with many developing severe trauma-related disorders such as PTSD, depression, and anxiety. The continuous exposure to violence has led to a situation where virtually every child in Gaza now requires mental health support, a dire statistic that underscores the depth of the crisis: most of Gaza’s children are suffering from fear and anxiety, lack of sleep, and are displaying other signs of distress, such as constant shaking and bedwetting.