https://arab.news/pkage
- Mental Health Hospital team overwhelmed with over 100 daily patients
- Children face night terrors, bed-wetting, and other symptoms
GAZA STRIP: Gaza residents are suffering “a volcano” of psychological trauma from Israel’s devastating military campaign that has become clear since last month’s truce, according to Palestinian mental health specialists.
Two years of intense Israeli bombardment and repeated military incursions that local health authorities say have killed more than 68,000 people, along with widespread homelessness and hunger, have affected all of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants.
The crisis is evident in the large numbers now seeking treatment from the Gaza City Mental Health Hospital team, which is working out of a nearby clinic because its building is damaged, said its head, Abdallah Al-Jamal. “With the start of the truce, it was like a volcano erupting in patients seeking mental health services. Even the stigma that used to be present before, the fear of visiting a psychologist, does not exist anymore,” he said, describing “a very large increase” in numbers from before the conflict.
Al-Jamal and a colleague are working as best they can, but with the hospital suffering significant damage, their resources are limited, and they have to share a room, depriving their patients of privacy during consultations. “That is honestly insulting in the way services are provided, but we are trying as much as possible to find alternatives,” he said of the more than 100 patients they see there every day.
Among children, there are widespread reports of night terrors, bed-wetting, and other symptoms, including an inability to focus, according to mental health specialists for the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.
“Gazan children are now suffering from shortages of food, water, shelter, and clothing,” said Nivine Abdelhadi, a specialist from the organization, which is offering activities for children that include games and stories.
The ceasefire came into effect on Oct. 10, although there have been repeated outbreaks of violence since then. It brought a halt to major warfare in the conflict, which was triggered by the attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.