The needs assessment study - which interviewed over 500 children, parents and caregivers, from families where at least one child is disabled, injured or unaccompanied - shows that over a year of displacement, loss, and relentless bombing have left the most vulnerable children in Gaza seriously psychologically traumatised, with their families on the brink of survival. For the most vulnerable children in Gaza, caregivers report that:
- 96% of children feel death is imminent
- 92% of children are not accepting of reality,
- 87% display severe fear,
- 79% suffer from nightmares,
- 77% of children avoid talking about traumatic events,
- 73% of children exhibit symptoms of aggression,
- 49% of children wish to die because of the war,
- and many more show signs of withdrawal and severe anxiety, alongside a pervasive sense of hopelessness.
The Needs Assessment Study of Children with Disabilities, Injured, and Separated or Unaccompanied, was conducted by the Community Training Centre for Crisis Management (CTCCM) with support from the War Child Alliance. It paints a harrowing picture of children’s mental health in Gaza.
A seminal 2019 study published in the Lancet indicated that 22% of individuals in a conflict affected population would suffer from a mental disorder*. In comparison, the figures from this needs assessment study indicate that virtually all of the most vulnerable children in Gaza require psychosocial and trauma recovery support.
“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,” said a spokesperson from CCTM.
The survey, conducted in June 2024 of 504 households, also reveals that 88% of families have been displaced multiple times, with 21% forced to move six or more times. Most families live on just £100 a month / £3.28 per day, grappling with soaring prices for food and essentials due to the ongoing blockade and restrictions on humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, 80% of breadwinners are unemployed, reflecting the devastating economic consequences of the war. Nearly 1 in 4 (24%) of the families surveyed were now led by a child aged 16 or under.
“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," says Helen Pattinson, the CEO of War Child UK. She continued “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.”
Due to very real security risks for humanitarian staff in Gaza from conducting such a study amid the ongoing conflict, this new research acknowledges that it utilised convenience sampling methods, gaining information from carers looking after children in Gaza that are disabled, injured, or separated from their families.
Recognising the acute mental health crisis, War Child and its partners have begun to address the childhood trauma brought about due to the conflict, having reached more than 17,000 children with mental health support so far. Programmes such as psychological first aid, adapted versions of TeamUp (a play and movement-based program), and recreational activities in child-friendly spaces are providing moments of relief amidst the chaos.
These interventions - while vital to help children process their emotions and find resilience in the face of unimaginable stress - are only the prelude to the roll out of War Child’s largest ever humanitarian response in its three-decade history, with plans to reach over a million children with psychosocial and other support.
War Child and its partners have also stepped in to provide life-saving assistance, having reached a total of 180,000 individuals, including 118,000 children – over 1 in 10 children in Gaza. This includes through mental health and psychosocial support activities, and emergency provisions such as food, clean water, hygiene kits, warm clothing, and blankets.
War Child is also working to help address the needs of the estimated 17,000 unaccompanied and separated children in Gaza, many of whom have had their immediate family members killed. So far, over 580 of these children have been directly supported by War Child, with efforts ongoing to connect them with essential services and caregivers.
