UNICEF warns over a million children in Gaza face mental health crises

In a report on Sunday, UNICEF said Gaza’s children suffer from nightmares, anxiety and paralyzing fears due to Israel’s intense bombardment, loss of family members and the dire humanitarian situation in the blockaded territory.

The UN agency added that at least 19,000 Palestinian children have been orphaned since the Israeli war on Gaza began in October 2023.

Mental health experts caution that the immense impact of months of war on the mental health of these children could persist for generations, it added.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached alarming levels. The number of aid trucks entering the region remains grossly inadequate to meet the basic needs of families, while civil order has largely unraveled, leading to the looting of humanitarian supplies.

Moreover, the few operational hospitals are overwhelmed, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure has severely hampered access to essential services, including food, clean water, sanitation, and healthcare.

A recent report from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics noted a 6% decline in Gaza’s population in 2024, indicating that Israeli soldiers are intentionally targeting specific demographic groups, such as children and youth, resulting in a significant “distortion of the population”.

The Israeli army has killed more than 46,500 people, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023.

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamion Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.