When wars erupt, attention usually turns to the material and geopolitical losses, and major capitals become preoccupied with the balance of power and securing strategic interests.
But amidst this debate, the deeper and more lasting human cost is often overlooked: the traumatic memory etched into the consciousness of generations of children.
In the Gaza Strip, the discussion is no longer limited to the daily death toll, but extends to an entire generation being psychologically and cognitively reshaped in a furnace of violence and loss.
This cost transcends the Strip’s geographical boundaries, presenting the international community with a crucial moral and legal test.
The most dangerous consequence of systematic and continuous violence is its impact on brain development and consciousness. Childhood years are crucial for building the neural connections that determine how an individual processes information and regulates emotions.
The situation in Gaza is not a fleeting conflict, but a chronic and recurring trauma. Instead of recovering from one round of violence, children find themselves facing a new, even more brutal one, preventing them from developing effective psychological defense mechanisms. Bombing, displacement, and loss have become part of daily life, creating what is known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) on a societal level.
The catastrophic living conditions exacerbate the psychological crisis; children live in an environment plagued by food insecurity, collapsed infrastructure, and a weakened healthcare system, making access to the necessary psychological care to address trauma a distant luxury.
The loss here is multifaceted: the loss of parents, the loss of home, and the loss of a sense of security, the cornerstone of a child’s healthy development. Thus, generations are being created characterized by high levels of anxiety, aggression, isolation, and recurring nightmares, inevitably impacting their educational abilities and future participation in society.
