EYAD BABA/OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP
A devastating study revealed that nearly half of the Palestinian children in Gaza want to die while most believe their death is imminent.
The War Child Alliance charity conducted a needs assessment of 500 children, parents and caregivers in Gaza that determined 96% of Palestinian children feel their death is imminent and 49% of them want to die because of the trauma they have endured.
“This report lays bare that Gaza is one of the most horrifying places in the world to be a child,” Helen Pattinson, chief executive of War Child UK, stated. “Alongside the levelling 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.”
More than 60% of the children surveyed said they have experienced at least one traumatic event during the war. The study also found that 92% of the children were “not accepting of reality”, 79% suffer from nightmares and 73% exhibit symptoms of aggression.
The assessment also estimated that 17,000 children in Gaza are unaccompanied because they were separated from their parents, but noted the real number could be much higher.
Nearly 2 million Palestinians, including 1 million children, have been displaced, many multiple times, as Israeli forces continue striking Gaza, killing dozens of Palestinians everyday, most of whom are women and children, The Guardian reported.
Originally published by Latin Times
