15 years of blockade has made the Gaza Strip a nightmare for the residents. Hundreds of thousands have no idea what the outside world could feel like.
In the Gaza Strip, over 80% of children are inflicted with serious consequences of depression and despair. The anxiety engendered by Israel‘s 15 years of siege across the area is believed to be the fundamental cause of the current situation.
Save the Children surveyed 488 youngsters and 168 family heads / guardians in the Gaza Strip for the study. The paper, dubbed “Trapped,” is a follow-up to another study undertaken by the organization four years ago.
The Gaza Strip has been under siege since 2007. The measure has had a major economic impact on the region, while significantly limiting movement. The blockade has also had a particularly negative impact on children, who account for roughly half of the city’s population.
Approximately 800,000 children born in Gaza Strip have never experienced life outside of the siege. They’ve had to deal with recurrent hazards of war and violence during a decade. To make it worse, the threats were followed by the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020.
Save the Children’s recent study found that people from all groups of society in Gaza have experienced an intensifying mental health challenge in four years. The rate of children disclosing emotional trauma has risen 25% compared with the previous study.
According to Save the Children, over 50% of children in Gaza have considered suicide at least once. Self-harming ideas are more common, with roughly 60% of people having them.
Inaccessibility of essential services such as medical services has been identified as contributing causes to the mental health crisis. The continuous siege lies behind all shortages, limitations, and societal disputes that is leading the region into an all-out crisis.
Gaza Children Born in Blockade
According to the family heads/guardians, 79% of Gazan youngsters have experienced bedwetting in the last years. There has been a surge in youngsters suffering speaking, linguistic, and interaction impairments, according to 60% of parents. Transient responsive mutism, which is a result of trauma or maltreatment, is among the impairments.
The impact of these disorders on a child’s growth, education, and human engagement is both serious, according to the report. “The physical evidence of their distress – bedwetting, loss of ability to speak or to complete basic tasks – is shocking and should serve as a wakeup call to the international community,” Palestine representative in Save the Children emphasized.
Caregivers warned in the 2018 report that the ongoing embargo will jeopardize their capacity to support children. According to the recent Save the Children survey, 96 percent of those surveyed experienced continual sorrow, worry, and mental anguish.
Save the Children has urged Israeli administration to act immediately to break the Gazan siege. Tel Aviv was also encouraged to cease the occupation, according to the institution. In part of its advisory comments, Save the Children wrote “we call on all sides to tackle the root causes of this conflict, and take steps to protect all children and families who deserve to live in safety and dignity. We need an immediate end to the conflict and economic deprivation that are huge stressors in children’s lives.”
After Hamas’ control over Gaza 15 years ago, Israel placed a ground, air, and maritime embargo on the territory. The siege places severe limits on Palestinians in Gaza’s ability to travel.
Gates between Gaza and Israel are frequently blocked, and gasoline, power, and other supplies are subject to numerous constraints. Fishermen are also under heavy regulative policies, limiting their job.
