Warning that children’s sense of stability and security has been eroded as key everyday services have collapsed, humanitarians insist that Gaza’s youth will need “sustained, long-term efforts to recover”.
According to child safety partner assessments conducted in September, shared by the United Nations aid coordination office (OCHA), 93 percent exhibited aggressive behavior and 90 percent were violent toward younger children.
Sadness and withdrawal are almost as common (86 percent), along with sleep disturbances (79 percent) and a general refusal to study (69 percent).
Violence every day
While a fragile ceasefire remains in place, the deadly violence and insecurity has not entirely ended, with Israeli military attacks near or east of the so-called “Yellow Line.”
This is where the Israeli army, which represents more than 50 percent of the Gaza Strip, remains deployed, OCHA said.
In an update, the UN aid office said access to the sea remains prohibited; It also cited reports that Israeli forces continue to detain Palestinian fishermen at sea.
“In areas beyond the ‘Yellow Line’…Daily detonations of residential buildings continue to be reported and access to humanitarian assets, public infrastructure and agricultural land remains restricted or completely prohibited.”the OCHA update states.
One million remain homeless
Of Gaza’s 2.1 million inhabitants, approximately one million today live in 862 displacement sites.
More than half of these sites are in the southernmost area of Khan Younis, 264 are in Deir al Balah, 180 are in the governorates of Gaza and northern Gaza and eight are in Rafah.
Many camps are overcrowded, increasing dangers for girls and boys, particularly those with disabilities who are at risk of violence, neglect and unsafe access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities.
The U.N. Palestine relief agency, UNRWA, said about 75,000 people live in about 100 of its designated shelters and surrounding areas.
Growing anxiety
UN aid partners providing assistance to young people report experiencing increased anxiety, behavioral changes and growing concern about the continued lack of safe spaces.
In the four weeks since an agreed pause in fighting, humanitarian partners have provided child protection services to more than 132,000 people across the Gaza Strip. This includes almost 1,600 children with disabilities and 45,000 caregivers, OCHA said.
Assistance has included individual psychological consultations, group sessions, stress management activities, recreational psychosocial support and referrals for further help.
The goal is to reach more than 100,000 children each month to address the needs of almost one million children in the Gaza Strip.
This development came as Israeli authorities announced the reopening of the Zikim crossing after an eight-week closure.
The crossing links Israel and northern Gaza and will reopen for humanitarian cargo, OCHA said. In recent weeks, the UN has been repairing the road leading to Zikim inside Gaza in preparation for the reopening and is now carrying out final checks – including for potential explosive hazards – to allow cargo collection to resume.
