DayofPal– Since Israel’s war on Gaza began on October 7, 2023, children have been the primary victims, enduring death, injury, and displacement. Many have become martyrs, amputees, or orphans, while others face hunger and thirst.
Zain, a young Gazan child, is one such victim, having lost his mother two months ago in an Israeli airstrike on the Nuseirat refugee camp, leaving him with an unhealable emotional and physical wound.
Journalist and activist Saleh Al-Jafarawi shared a video on his Instagram account showing Zain sleeping on his mother’s grave. He commented, “Child Zain Youssef Mahna’s mother was killed two months ago in an Israeli bombing of the Nuseirat camp, and since then, he comes every day to sleep on her grave.”
Al-Jafarawi asked Zain, “Why are you sleeping on the grave?” The child replied, “I want to sleep in my mother’s embrace.” When asked if he was afraid of the bombing and darkness, Zain responded, “I’m not afraid of anyone. I want to come to her every day. I miss her a lot.”
The video of Zain sleeping on his mother’s grave deeply moved social media users, garnering over 13 million views within 24 hours.
One commenter highlighted that the war leaves an enduring trauma in children who lose their families, with loss becoming a lasting, painful reality.
A Gaza resident shared his own grief, revealing that while Zain can visit his mother’s grave, he cannot visit the graves of his family—his mother, sister, father, siblings, and niece—because the Israeli forces not only kill the living but also destroy and desecrate the bodies of martyrs as well as their graves.
Gaza Government Media office reported that since October 7, 2023, more than 17,289 children and around 11, 815 women have been killed as a result of Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.
Gaza becomes graveyard for childhood
UNICEF described the Gaza Strip as a “graveyard for children,” highlighting the immense suffering and ongoing genocide since October 7, 2023.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell reported that over the past weekend, more than 50 children were killed in Jabalia alone within 48 hours, as Israeli forces targeted residential buildings housing displaced families.
UNICEF has consistently described the Israeli aggression on Gaza as a “war on children.” Tays Ingram, a UNICEF communication specialist, stated that children are the primary victims, enduring severe injuries from airstrikes, trauma from violence, and profound loss, with their stories highlighting the devastating humanitarian impact of the genocide.
She added, “The nature of this war is chaotic, often affecting civilians, including children, and costing tens of thousands of lives; its disproportionate impact on children is evident, as one in every two people in Gaza is a child.”
Before the escalation war in Gaza, UNICEF estimated that over 500,000 children needed mental health and psychosocial support. Now, nearly all children in Gaza—over a million—are in need of these services due to the ongoing war.
Psychological Trauma
UNRWA reported that over 625,000 children in Gaza are experiencing severe psychological trauma, many of whom are “out of school and living among the ruins.”
The agency highlighted that these children have endured immense losses for nearly a year since the Israeli aggression began. Even before the war, Gaza families struggled to access food, and after 12 months of war, there has been a rise in malnutrition, disease, deaths, and psychological trauma among the population.
Psychiatrist Jamal Farwaiz, a UN psychiatric consultant, warns that the ongoing genocide in Gaza will have severe psychological effects on all 2.5 million residents, with children being the most affected.
Gaza’s children face recurring psychological trauma due to continuous wars. A 2021 report by the Norwegian Refugee Council revealed that, after the “Sword of Jerusalem” battle, 12 out of 60 children killed had been receiving psychological treatment to cope with the trauma from prior aggressions.
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