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GAZA | Xinhua | Sitting inside a makeshift tent in northern Gaza, 31-year-old Mariam Abu al-Kas stares blankly ahead, her hands trembling as she speaks.
“Every time I close my eyes, I relive that night,” she told Xinhua.
A year and a half ago, she lost her husband and five children in an Israeli airstrike.
“In my dreams, I hear the missiles approaching, the screams of my children, and then silence. I feel as though I’m trapped under the rubble, searching for them with my bare hands.”
Before the war, Mariam was a teacher at a private school in Gaza City.
“We had a simple, happy life,” she said. “But now, I can’t even recognize myself in the mirror. It’s as if the war took my face, my voice, and my soul.”
Weeks after the guns fell silent across the Gaza Strip, residents like Mariam continue to live under the heavy shadow of psychological scars left by two years of relentless Israeli military operations that killed tens of thousands and displaced millions. Experts say it could take generations to heal those wounds.
In another tent in Deir al-Balah City, in central Gaza, 22-year-old Samah Ahmed, an engineering student displaced from Gaza City, sits quietly.
“The war took my ability to cry,” she told Xinhua. Samah lost her twin brother, Ismail, when a missile struck their neighborhood.
“I saw the wall collapse and heard him calling my name,” she recalled. “Then he disappeared. I ran to search for him in the dust and smoke, but I found nothing but ashes.”
“Since that day, I haven’t been able to cry. I try to ease the pain, but nothing comes. It’s like my heart is frozen. I no longer feel sadness or joy,” she said.
Gaza-based psychologist Salem Abu Taha told Xinhua that Samah’s symptoms are typical of what specialists call “emotional numbness,” a severe form of psychological trauma.
“In cases of sudden loss, especially of a loved one, the mind protects itself by detaching from reality,” he said. “Without treatment, the trauma can develop into chronic depression or behavioral problems.”
Abu Taha said hundreds of young Gazans suffer from similar conditions and called for urgent group therapy programs and rehabilitation initiatives for students. They need help, he added, to express grief and rebuild confidence.
In the southern city of Khan Younis, trauma is evident even among children. Ten-year-old Lana al-Sharif developed vitiligo, a skin disorder, after witnessing a nearby house destroyed in a bombing.
Her mother said Lana often wakes up at night screaming, covering her ears as if to block out the sounds of explosions echoing in her dreams.
Abdullah al-Jamal, director of the now-destroyed Gaza Psychiatric Hospital, described the mental health situation as “catastrophic.”
“The vast majority of Gazans suffer from moderate to severe psychological disorders due to continuous fear and lack of safety,” he told Xinhua.
He said post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are the most common conditions, while self-harming behavior has also been reported among youth. “The continuation of trauma, combined with medicine shortages, could lead to long-term mental disorders, especially among children,” he warned.
Al-Jamal said the availability of psychiatric medication is less than 50 percent of pre-war levels. “Health centers lack trained staff, and international support remains limited,” he said.
A report by the Gaza Community Mental Health Program, published in October 2025 under the title “Mental Health Crisis: Two Years of Living Under Genocide,” found that nearly 68 percent of Gaza’s population suffers from PTSD.
The report said 96 percent of children feel death is imminent, 92 percent struggle to adapt to new living conditions, and 87 percent experience persistent fear and nightmares.
“The current truce provides a limited window for psychological intervention, but without security and stability, therapy will not succeed,” al-Jamal said.
He stressed that mental recovery must be linked to broader reconstruction and stability efforts. “People cannot heal while fearing that the bombing may resume at any moment,” he added.
He said rebuilding Gaza’s psychological resilience requires a long-term national plan that includes free treatment programs, training new mental health professionals, and launching social campaigns to support children and women. ■
