Trauma and Resilience of Children in Gaza Amid Ongoing Conflict
Abdelrahman, an 11-year-old boy from Gaza, experienced profound loss and trauma after an Israeli air strike destroyed his home and killed his father. On July 16, 2024, a separate strike hit a school in Nuseirat, seriously wounding him and necessitating the amputation of a leg.
By May 2025, Abdelrahman is among dozens of children from Gaza evacuated to a hospital in Jordan for medical treatment. He remains withdrawn and wary, emblematic of the psychological impact war has had on many children in the region.
The trauma Abdelrahman endures reflects a broader and grim reality for children in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands have suffered through more than two years of conflict. Globally in 2024, approximately 520 million children—about one in five worldwide—lived in conflict zones, according to the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO).
Exposure to war can profoundly affect a child's brain development, with potential lifelong consequences on learning, behavior, and both physical and mental health. Outcomes differ based on multiple factors, including the duration of exposure to violence, physical injuries, loss of caregivers, immediate safety, and emotional support after conflict. Children vary widely in their responses to such trauma.
Research highlights strong correlations between family conditions and child mental health. For instance, among Syrian refugees in Lebanon, 80% of children were vulnerable to multiple psychological disorders. Access to safe housing, adequate food, and schooling were identified as significant predictors of better mental health outcomes.
Historical and therapeutic evidence underscores the importance of parental responses and control-focused therapies in aiding recovery. Studies from World War II Britain revealed low recovery rates even four years after bombing. Current approaches emphasize therapies that restore a sense of control and provide stable environments as crucial for helping children overcome wartime trauma.
