ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
The psychological toll of the conflict in Gaza is palpable in every corner of local hospitals, where the cries and trauma of children are a constant backdrop, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said on Monday, stressing that the mental health crisis is rapidly deepening.
The relentless conflict in Gaza continues to inflict severe psychological trauma on its inhabitants, forcing over 8,800 individuals to seek psychosocial support from MSF since the beginning of the year.
Davide Musardo, an MSF psychologist who recently returned from Gaza, shared devastating stories from his time aiding both children and adults ravaged by the ongoing violence.
“I’ve never experienced anything like what I saw in Gaza,” Musardo said in a statement.
According to MSF, the physical and emotional scars of the conflict are evident in the population.
“In some sessions we even had to shout to be heard, to overcome the sound of drones and bombs. And when there was no fighting outside, the background sound was the cries of children in the hospital.”
He added that some children suffer from frequent panic attacks, while others draw drones and military jets.
The constant displacement exacerbates the trauma, with some residents having moved as many as twelve times in just eight months.
“In Gaza, one survives but the exposure to trauma is constant.
Everything is missing, even the idea of a future. For people, the greatest anguish is not today – the bombs, the fighting and the mourning – but the aftermath. There is little confidence about peace and reconstruction, while the children I saw in the hospital showed clear signs of regression,” Musardo shared.
One patient lamented the loss of simple pleasures, such as drinking coffee from a favourite cup, more than the destruction of their home, the MSF statement said. Another expressed despair over the lack of fresh water, highlighting the degradation of daily life in the war-torn region.
“We need an immediate and lasting ceasefire; without it, healing the profound psychological wounds will be impossible,” Musardo emphasised, calling for an urgent and lasting halt to the hostilities.