The heavy airstrikes carried out by Israel on Gaza have left a generation of Palestinian children deeply traumatized. For many young people, life in Gaza has become a constant struggle to survive, with daily exposure to violence, destruction, and loss.
One of the most heartbreaking examples is that of eight-year-old Sama Tubail, whose life has been altered in unimaginable ways since the outbreak of violence on October 7, 2023.
Sama’s trauma is evident as she mimics the motion of combing her hair, despite the fact that she no longer has any. “I’m just so sad there isn’t a single strand of hair to comb with my brush,” Sama said, her voice trembling with emotion.
Before the conflict began, Sama had long hair and spent her days playing outside with her friends in Jabalya, a neighborhood in northern Gaza. But all that changed on October 7, 2023, when the violence forced her and her family to flee their home, moving first to Rafah in southern Gaza and eventually to a displacement camp in Khan Younis, central Gaza.
Since that fateful day, Sama and her family, along with an estimated 1.9 million other Palestinians, have been forcibly displaced from their homes. Israel’s military offensive against Gaza, which was triggered by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people, mostly civilians, has led to the deaths of over 48,000 Palestinians, with the majority being women and children.
The toll on children in particular is devastating, with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reporting that nearly all of Gaza’s 1.2 million children require psychological support due to the ongoing trauma.
A week after a fragile ceasefire was announced in January, the UN’s humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, told the UN Security Council that “a generation has been traumatized.” He described the unimaginable suffering of children who had been killed, starved, and exposed to the horrors of war.
Some of these children never even had a chance to experience life before their untimely deaths.
The effects of the violence on Gaza’s children have been profound and long-lasting. Sama’s hair loss, which doctors attribute to “nervous shock,” is a direct result of the trauma she experienced when her neighbor’s house was hit by an Israeli airstrike in August.
The shock of seeing her neighborhood destroyed, combined with the ongoing fear of violence, likely contributed to her condition, alopecia, which causes hair loss.
A report released last year by the War Child Alliance and the Gaza-based Community Training Centre for Crisis Management highlighted the severe psychological toll that Israel’s bombardment has had on Palestinian children. According to the report, which surveyed over 500 caregivers of vulnerable children, 96% of the children in these circumstances reported feeling that death was imminent.
Nearly half, or 49%, expressed a “wish to die” due to the stress and trauma caused by the Israeli assault.
Sama’s emotional suffering has been compounded by bullying from other children, who mock her for her hair loss. She now spends much of her time indoors, hiding behind a pink bandana that she uses to cover her scalp.
Her mother, Om-Mohammed, says that Sama often expresses a desire to die, telling her, “Mama, I’m tired – I want to die. Why won’t my hair grow?” Sama even asks if she will remain bald forever, praying that her hair will grow again in Paradise.
For Sama, the destruction of her home in northern Gaza has deepened her sense of loss. “Our house was bombed, and inside it were so many memories – my photos, my certificates. I had dresses and so many belongings, but the house was destroyed, and I haven’t been able to see it since,” Sama explained.
Even though some displaced families are returning to northern Gaza, Sama’s family remains in Khan Younis, unable to afford the transportation costs to go back to their destroyed home. “Transportation costs are too high, and even if we go, there is no water, and we don’t know where we would stay,” Sama’s mother said.
The psychological effects of the violence in Gaza are far-reaching, and the strain on mental health services has made it difficult to provide adequate care. Dr. Yasser Abu Jamei, director of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP), explained that his staff, many of whom are also displaced, have struggled with their own trauma, making it difficult to treat others.
Despite these challenges, GCMHP workers continue to provide vital support to families, offering drawing therapy to children as a way of allowing them to express their feelings non-verbally.
The stories of children like Sama and her family highlight the urgent need for mental health services in Gaza. While the ceasefire provided some temporary relief, the trauma inflicted on these children remains deep and long-lasting.
The emotional scars of war are not confined to Sama. In a displacement camp in Khan Younis, seven-year-old Anas Abu Eish and his sister Doa, aged eight, live with their grandmother after their parents were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Anas vividly recalls the moment his parents died, saying, “I was playing with my ball, I went down the stairs and I found Dad and Mom, thrown in the street, a drone came and exploded (on) them.”
Their grandmother, Om-Alabed, explained that the children’s trauma is evident in their behavior. Anas, she says, experiences moments of aggression whenever he sees other children being embraced by their mothers.
“I frequently remind people to be understanding, as he has lost not only his parents but also the safety, security, warmth, and affection they provided,” Om-Alabed said.
Doa, too, has been deeply affected by the loss. When CNN interviewed her, she distracted herself by applying pressure to her nails, and seconds later, she began to cry. Israeli psychologist and professor at the University of Pennsylvania Edna Foa, who reviewed the footage, expressed hope that Anas and Doa could recover, noting that they were still interacting, which is a positive sign compared to other children who simply stare at their surroundings without expressing any emotions.
Another child, six-year-old Manal Jouda, lives in the same displacement camp and recalls the night her home was destroyed. “There was sand in my mouth, I was screaming, they dug with a shovel, our neighbor was saying ‘this is Manal, this is Manal.’ I was awake, my eyes were opened under the rubble, my mouth was opened, and sand was coming into it,” Manal said.
Manal’s story is a painful reminder of the horrors faced by children caught in the violence. Despite the temporary ceasefire, the trauma that Manal and other children have experienced will stay with them for years. Dr. Foa, who has worked extensively with trauma survivors, believes that with proper treatment, these children can begin to heal.
However, she also acknowledges that they will never be the same as they were before the war, but with the right support, they can lead functional lives, despite the scars they carry.
For Sama, the trauma remains unrelenting. Even as the ceasefire holds, her hair has not regrown, and she continues to wonder if it ever will. “Every time my hair starts to grow, I look at it with hope, but then it falls out again,” she said.
Her mother, Om-Mohammed, explained that Sama feels ashamed of her baldness, even in front of her sisters. Sama has expressed that she can’t restart her life until her hair grows back. “Sama always told me ‘I want to go to the north to find my clothes and my memories,’” Om-Mohammed said.
“But now she has changed her mind and says ‘where would we go? We don’t have a home anymore; all my friends have hair, and I don’t.’”
The situation for children in Gaza is dire, with a generation suffering the effects of war, displacement, and trauma. Despite the temporary relief offered by ceasefires, the long-term psychological and emotional damage caused by the conflict remains a significant challenge.
As the world continues to watch the events unfold, the need for international support, both in terms of mental health services and humanitarian aid, is more critical than ever.
