Mental health professionals in Gaza addressing their own and others' psychological well-being
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In the war-torn region of Gaza, mental health care is a critical yet severely strained resource. Palestinian journalist Mohammed Mhawish, who left Gaza last year, is now shedding light on the plight of mental health professionals in the region who continue to work tirelessly to help their community despite their own hardships.
Mhawish's work aims to capture the story of the thousands of children still inside Gaza who are reliving the traumatic experiences of ongoing conflict. One of the therapists he spoke to, who lost family in a bombing just weeks before their conversation, shared her determination to heal by helping others.
The mental health professionals in Gaza are not just therapists; they are mothers struggling to provide for their children, health workers suffering from direct targeting, starvation, and trauma, and heroes in quiet ways. They treat the unseen wounds of trauma, including internal wreckage, grief, nightmares, and exhaustion that remain invisible to many.
The health system in Gaza is overwhelmed with urgent trauma care needs, while mental health is under-addressed in both emergency response and sustainable planning. International humanitarian organizations try to provide community mental health support, but aid blockages and destruction impede effective delivery, leaving millions without reliable psychosocial support.
The mental health needs are immense given the trauma from ongoing violence, displacement, and the devastating humanitarian conditions. The destruction of more than 60% of health facilities, including attacks specifically targeting healthcare workers and infrastructure, has crippled both physical and mental health services.
Innovations such as mobile clinics and telemedicine are used as interim solutions, but sustainable mental health service reconstruction requires cessation of hostilities, greater local involvement, and phased health system rebuilding that prioritizes mental health integration. Addressing these challenges demands durable peace efforts, international stewardship aligned with local ownership, and equity-driven health system recovery prioritizing trauma management and mental health support.
Mhawish's work is diligent reporting interwoven with his own experiences, and he wanted to convey the collective trauma passed down among Palestinians. His 3 1/2-year-old son, Rafik, asked him if they were going to die, two months after the war began in December of 2023. The trauma Mhawish lived through is still in his and his child's body.
One mental health professional is unable to promise her child a safe space to sleep at night or a proper meal or breakfast in the morning. The people of Gaza are experiencing repeated layered trauma, including losing homes, loved ones, living with constant fear, extreme hunger, and displacement.
Despite these challenges, the mental health workers in Gaza continue to work because they have to. They carry stories, pain, and hope for their entire community. The mental health care crisis in Gaza is a humanitarian catastrophe that demands urgent attention and action.
The mental health professionals in Gaza, working tirelessly among the health-and-wellness community, are crucial for addressing the immense mental health needs arising from the ongoing trauma and devastating conditions. Their work, including treating internal wreckage, grief, nightmares, and exhaustion, serves as a vital science-based intervention for the mental health crisis in the region.
The lack of reliable psychosocial support within the community due to aid blockages and destruction highlights the urgent need for international support and cooperation for the reconstruction of sustainable mental health services in Gaza.
