Gaza — Two years into one of the most destructive conflicts in recent history, Gaza is facing a profound mental health emergency. After 24 months of bombardment, displacement, and loss, the psychological toll is visible in every home, school, and shelter.
Doctors and aid agencies warn that the mental health crisis is now as devastating as the physical destruction—a slow, invisible collapse that threatens to define Gaza’s future long after the bombs stop falling.
A Silent Epidemic
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 80% of Gaza’s population is experiencing severe psychological distress—manifesting as chronic anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and insomnia. For many, trauma is not a memory but a daily, ongoing reality.
Mental health experts describe the situation as a “collective psychological breakdown.” Families have been displaced multiple times, children have lost parents or siblings, and the absence of safety has stripped communities of hope.
“People are living in survival mode every single day,” says Dr. Hanan Nasser, a psychologist working with a mobile trauma unit in southern Gaza. “We are treating trauma inside trauma. There is no recovery when the war never ends.”
System in Ruins
Before the war, Gaza already faced a shortage of mental health professionals—fewer than 50 psychiatrists and psychologists served a population of over two million. Today, that system lies in ruins.
In early 2025, the destruction of Gaza’s only psychiatric hospital left thousands of patients without access to medication or therapy. Many of them, suffering from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or severe depression, are now stranded in overcrowded shelters with no medical oversight.
“We have lost our entire mental health infrastructure,” says Dr. Samer Abu Shahla, one of the few psychiatrists still operating in Gaza. “The patients who used to come to us are now lost—either displaced, unmedicated, or dead.”
Children: Growing Up in Fear
Children are among the most severely affected. After two years of war, many have spent their entire lives in displacement, hunger, and fear.
A 2025 Save the Children assessment found that nine in ten children in Gaza show symptoms of severe emotional distress—nightmares, bedwetting, mutism, aggression, and withdrawal. Teachers report that many children can no longer concentrate, smile, or play.
“They draw only bombs and graves,” says a teacher in Rafah. “Even when we ask them to paint something happy, they draw destruction. Their imagination has been taken from them.”
Endless Trauma, No Safe Space
In most conflicts, trauma begins to heal when violence subsides. But in Gaza, there has been no such pause. Repeated evacuations, hunger, and disease keep psychological wounds open.
Families live crowded under tents or in destroyed buildings, reliving fear every night as drones buzz overhead. “You cannot heal while still being bombed,” says Dr. Nasser. “Trauma has become part of daily life.”
Community Efforts Amid Despair
Despite the devastation, small groups of mental health workers and NGOs continue to provide critical support. Mobile counseling teams travel between shelters, offering group therapy sessions, art activities, and psychosocial support.
The WHO, UNICEF, and local NGOs have expanded tele-counseling and psychological first aid programs, training teachers and volunteers to help recognize and respond to trauma. Yet with power outages, communication blackouts, and destroyed clinics, their reach remains limited.
Generational Consequences
Experts warn that Gaza’s mental health crisis will echo for decades. Untreated trauma can lead to lifelong mental illness, substance abuse, and violence. For children, it can permanently affect brain development, learning, and social behavior.
“This is not just a health emergency,” says a WHO mental health coordinator. “It’s a generational collapse. The psychological damage we see today will shape Gaza’s society for years to come.”
A Plea for Global Attention
Mental health specialists are urging the international community to treat psychological support as an essential component of humanitarian aid—not an afterthought.
They call for immediate restoration of psychiatric services, import of medications, and creation of safe zones where civilians—especially children—can receive care without fear.
“The war has destroyed our bodies and our minds,” says Dr. Abu Shahla. “If the world doesn’t act soon, Gaza’s pain will not end when the fighting stops. It will live on inside every survivor.”
Sources:
World Health Organization (WHO) — Narrative Review on the Mental Health and Psychosocial Impact of the War in Gaza (2025)
Save the Children — Complete Psychological Destruction: Children of Gaza (2025)
EMRO — Repercussions of the Destruction of Gaza’s Sole Psychiatric Hospital (2025)
AP News, Reuters, Washington Post, Le Monde, DayNews