Short summary/ prompt:
(This is my first time using this forum.) This is a research paper regarding the War in Gaza. I am aiming to make the structure of the paper as organized as possible.
When my father was six years old, he lived in a Palestinian town in the central West Bank known as 'Deir Dibwan', traditionally known for its agricultural works and farming heritage- particularly in olive cultivation. It was during this time that the Six-Day War unraveled, and Deir Dibwan had fallen under Israeli occupation after 19 years under Jordanian rule. Following 1967, parts of the town were seized for Israeli settlement construction and military purposes. At the age of seven, he left for the United States with his parents, leaving much of his childhood behind. Though my father had left, the childhood he had was one marked by fear and uncertainty-an experience that continues to define the lives of children in Gaza and greater Palestine every day.
The purpose of the introduction -as well as the entirety of this research paper- is to provide a foundation for understanding the current events ravaging the people of Palestine. This paper aims to examine the physical and psychological effects of prolonged military and settler occupation on Palestinian children, with particular attention to those living in Gaza. While a piece of my father's childhood is deemed a mere memory that reflects the legacy of the historical 1967 invasion, the conditions he once faced have not faltered; instead, they burgeon in the daily struggles of the youth living in occupied Palestine. These children continue to endure profound instability marked by displacement, bereavement, fear, and violence as they face the realities of settlement occupation and war over their native homeland. This research aims to better the global understanding and advocacy by addressing the psychological, social and physical damages inflicted upon children, specifically of Gaza, that will have lasting consequences.
In a period of mounting social and political discourse, opposition remains a powerful force in shaping societies, perpetuating both cycles of adversity and unity. Among the most profoundly impacted, yet too frequently overlooked, are children-particularly those residing in regions of prolonged military blockade, siege and perpetual unrest. This essay is intended for a wide audience, including parents, educators, social workers, policymakers, and others who can advocate for securing efforts for a safe and dignified future for the next generation of Palestine- a hope that, for many youths enduring these blockades and daily attacks, feels dull and distant. It seeks to address the profound impact of war on children, with a specific focus on Gaza, where ongoing hostilities actively harm the fundamental aspects of childhood development, such as physiological and psychological well-being and overall stability by highlighting the long-term psychological, social, and physical consequences of warfare on Palestinian youth-consequences that, if unaddressed, risk perpetuating generational trauma and systemic humanitarian decline.
Understanding the current crisis in Palestine today- particularly its devastating impact on children- requires a basic but essential historical understanding. It is indispensable to recognize that the 'Israeli-Palestinian conflict' was not a recent development, as it represents one of the most enduring and consequential humanitarian crises of the modern era. A pivotal event in this history is the Nakba, or "the catastrophe", that occured in 1948 with the establishment of the state of Israel. It is this year that marks the beginning of Palestinian displacement in which over 700,000 people were forcibly expelled or fled from their homes amid facing the destruction and massacres of their villages. This is where generational trauma begins; many became refugees, others part of the Palestinian diaspora, setting the precedents for a need and eternal desire to return to the homeland. It was during the six day war in 1967 where Israel invaded the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza strip, where Palestinains are still occupied today, where settlement expansion, military presence, forcible removal and destruction of homes, even outside of Gaza, ceaselessly increases. This mass displacement not only reshaped the demographics of Palestine but also laid the foundation for what would become a refugee crisis. Many Palestinians became stateless, living in temporary camps across neighboring countries or within the occupied territories-a condition that, for many, continues to this day.
To fully grasp the severity of this crisis, it is essential to examine the tangible realities that Palestinian children face under occupation, blockade and aerial bombardment. It must be remembered that statistics provide far more than just numbers-they reveal patterns of systemic targeting, personal trauma, and neglect. Among the most disturbing are those related to administrative detention, daily increasing mortality rates, and the profound emotional toll inflicted by daily violence. One particularly relevant source identifies six grave violations against children: the killing and maiming of children, the recruitment and use of children in armed groups, sexual violence, abduction, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the denial of humanitarian access (Boukari et al.). These violations are not abstract-they are far-reaching, ongoing realities in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories. The stakes of this situation could not be higher. The war has robbed children not only of their safety and education, but of their childhood, stability, and in far too many cases, their lives. The youth of Palestine are forced to carry the weight of a war imposed upon them, making it all the more urgent to confront the scope of their suffering and advocate for a future grounded in dignity and generational healing.
The discourse debating casualty numbers in Gaza often centers on whether the victims are primarily combatants or civilians. Proponents of Israeli military actions frequently claim that most casualties are militants; however, this narrative is countered by blatant data and raw facts from international humanitarian organizations. According to United Nations estimates, over 15,000 children have been killed, and approximately one in ten have been maimed or injured due to ongoing hostilities. War Child UK reports that more than 17,000 children have been orphaned or separated from their families as a result of deaths, disappearances, or detentions. These staggering figures underscore the urgent need for enforced demilitarized zones and the protection of civilians-especially children-from military violence. The implementation of international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, must not only be advocated but enforced, with accountability for violations. While this issue holds particular personal relevance given my heritage, the priority to safeguard children transcends all borders, religions and ideologies. At its core, the protection of innocent lives is a universal humanitarian imperative that demands immediate international attention.
Beyond the immediate humanitarian toll, the recurrent bombardments and infrastructural collapse has caused the fundamental international rights of safe learning among children to be completely dismantled, as the educational system in Gaza has become one of the most fragile casualties of ongoing conflict. According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the ongoing war in Gaza will set children's education back by up to five years that risks creating a lost generation of the immutably traumatised youth across Palestine. A report made by a team of academics working in partnership with UNWRA have been the first to comprehensively quantify the war's toll on education since it began in October of 2023, detailing the "devastating impact on children, young people and teachers, supported by new accounts from frontline staff and aid workers." The study was "a joint undertaking involving UNRWA and researchers at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge and the Centre for Lebanese Studies" that had shown "Gaza's children have already lost 14 months of education since 2019 due to COVID-19, earlier Israeli military operations, and the current war." Director of the Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre, University of Cambridge, Professor Pauline Rose stated: "Palestinian education is under attack in Gaza. Israeli military operations have had a significant effect on learning."- "As well as planning for how we rebuild Gaza's shattered education system, there is an urgent need to get educational support for children now. Education is a right for all young people. We have a collective responsibility to protect it," (UNWRA).
Psychological trauma has left thousands of children without access to proper education, and hinders child development; "According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, more than 10,600 children and 400 teachers had been killed in Israeli military operations by August 2024, and more than 15,300 students and 2,400 teachers injured. Hundreds of thousands of young people have been displaced and are living in shelters," (UNWRA). According to these statistics, researchers have calculated that the absence of 14 months of schooling has increased "learning poverty" - and the proportion of illiterate children by age 10 has increased by at least 20%. It was also noted that the accurate figure may even be much higher, as this calculation does not account for the wider impacts of the war on children and educators. According to a 2022 report by Save The Children, the 17-year blockade had already contributed to the psychological consequences on children and their education.
According to War Child, while families in Gaza are confined to overcrowded shelters amid widespread famine, malnutrition, and disease, with approximately 80% of educational facilities completely decimated, children in the West Bank also face major disruptions to their education and healthcare due to military checkpoints that obstruct access to schools and medical services. As the organization explains, "Children in Gaza experience traumatic situations on a daily basis. It is likely that every child there needs urgent mental health support, with many requiring years of specialist treatment as they struggle with anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. It's even harder for them to look ahead to a positive future when education has completely stopped in Gaza and is increasingly inaccessible in the West Bank" (War Child).
Despite forced displacement since 1948, Palestinains remain among the largest refugee populations without protections under global policies, which leads to address the next argument; Palestinians must be formally recognized under international refugee protection laws, which will not only safeguard their rights and ensure consistent legal accountability, but also lay the foundation for restoring opportunity, dignity and stability for the children and future generations of Palestine. An article written by The Palestine Chronicle details why Palestinian refugees were excluded from the 1951 Refugee Convention: "While the diplomats that created the Convention may have been cagey about explicitly naming the Palestinians in the Convention itself, the recorded negotiations leave little doubt that Article 1(D) excludes Palestinians and Palestinians alone. Courts around the world have also unanimously interpreted Article 1(D) to be the Palestinian exclusion provision," (The Palestine Chronicle).
The reasoning behind this exclusion, as presented in the article, stems from the fact that the drafters-primarily European delegations-were focused on addressing the aftermath of World War II in Europe. The 1951 Convention was shaped with European refugees in mind. It wasn't until 1967 that the Protocol expanded the definition to include non-European populations. By then, the establishment of Israel had already displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, forcing many into camps of tent cities that clearly met the conditions of refugee status. Yet, the legal framework was not designed to protect their specific circumstances, sidelining them from the international refugee system. The second reason given was that "many Arab countries did not want Palestinians included in the Refugee Convention since it would impose an obligation on Palestine's neighbors, those same Arab countries, to provide for them", (The Palestine Chronicle).
According to The Conversation, UNRWA was established to protect the social and economic rights of Palestinian refugees, who were denied access to international protections. Excluded from both the 1951 Refugee Convention and the mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Palestinians were left without the legal safeguards afforded to other displaced populations. As the article states, "No alternatives were provided to them." As a result, their security and basic human rights have been left to the discretion of host governments-many of which continue to subject them to marginalization and violence. Today, "Refugees represent 81 percent of Gaza's population of 2.1 million people. The displacement of these stateless refugees goes back to the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, an event known by Palestinians as Al Nakba, or 'the catastrophe,'" (Almustafa).
Child mortality rates are rising-and will continue to rise-without immediate international protection. According to Doctors Without Borders, even aside from relentless shelling, the living conditions in Gaza remain critical, as families are packed into crowded tents or makeshift shelters made of plastic sheeting and other materials, with little to no access to clean water or basic sanitary items like soap. As a result, diseases such as scabies and respiratory infections have significantly increased, especially among children and newborns. Due to the blockade on aid entering Gaza, the cost of basic necessities has soared, further fueling malnutrition, particularly in infants and children. Humanitarian aid and basic medical care are critical to alleviating the suffering of Gazans and addressing the severe shortage of life-saving supplies-especially for the most vulnerable.
"We are treating infants who have infectious diseases, respiratory diseases, and skin diseases. Of course, we saw this before the war, but today we see it much more, and the figures continue to rise," said Dr. Mohammad Abu Tayyem, a pediatrician with MSF working at Nasser Hospital in South Gaza, where over 300 pediatric patients were treated daily. "We see overcrowding in the department, including children with acute pneumonia." In just one year, the healthcare system had been decimated. In the so-called "humanitarian zone," where displaced populations are densely concentrated, MSF provides neonatal, obstetric, and pediatric care at three Primary Healthcare Clinics (PHCCs) and at Nasser Hospital-one of the only functional maternity wards remaining in southern Gaza. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, out of 36 hospitals in Gaza, only 17 remained partially functional as of November 19 (Doctors Without Borders).
Ultimately, the evidence demonstrated in this research paper is an urgent call to action against the ongoing war and advocates for meaningful change, particularly with the intent to protect the most vulnerable population; children. By addressing these issues and improving awareness, better work can be made as we strive to improve the lives of Palestinian youth by creating opportunities for a brighter, more hopeful future.
Works Cited:
(This is my first time using this forum.) This is a research paper regarding the War in Gaza. I am aiming to make the structure of the paper as organized as possible.
When my father was six years old, he lived in a Palestinian town in the central West Bank known as 'Deir Dibwan', traditionally known for its agricultural works and farming heritage- particularly in olive cultivation. It was during this time that the Six-Day War unraveled, and Deir Dibwan had fallen under Israeli occupation after 19 years under Jordanian rule. Following 1967, parts of the town were seized for Israeli settlement construction and military purposes. At the age of seven, he left for the United States with his parents, leaving much of his childhood behind. Though my father had left, the childhood he had was one marked by fear and uncertainty-an experience that continues to define the lives of children in Gaza and greater Palestine every day.
The purpose of the introduction -as well as the entirety of this research paper- is to provide a foundation for understanding the current events ravaging the people of Palestine. This paper aims to examine the physical and psychological effects of prolonged military and settler occupation on Palestinian children, with particular attention to those living in Gaza. While a piece of my father's childhood is deemed a mere memory that reflects the legacy of the historical 1967 invasion, the conditions he once faced have not faltered; instead, they burgeon in the daily struggles of the youth living in occupied Palestine. These children continue to endure profound instability marked by displacement, bereavement, fear, and violence as they face the realities of settlement occupation and war over their native homeland. This research aims to better the global understanding and advocacy by addressing the psychological, social and physical damages inflicted upon children, specifically of Gaza, that will have lasting consequences.
In a period of mounting social and political discourse, opposition remains a powerful force in shaping societies, perpetuating both cycles of adversity and unity. Among the most profoundly impacted, yet too frequently overlooked, are children-particularly those residing in regions of prolonged military blockade, siege and perpetual unrest. This essay is intended for a wide audience, including parents, educators, social workers, policymakers, and others who can advocate for securing efforts for a safe and dignified future for the next generation of Palestine- a hope that, for many youths enduring these blockades and daily attacks, feels dull and distant. It seeks to address the profound impact of war on children, with a specific focus on Gaza, where ongoing hostilities actively harm the fundamental aspects of childhood development, such as physiological and psychological well-being and overall stability by highlighting the long-term psychological, social, and physical consequences of warfare on Palestinian youth-consequences that, if unaddressed, risk perpetuating generational trauma and systemic humanitarian decline.
Understanding the current crisis in Palestine today- particularly its devastating impact on children- requires a basic but essential historical understanding. It is indispensable to recognize that the 'Israeli-Palestinian conflict' was not a recent development, as it represents one of the most enduring and consequential humanitarian crises of the modern era. A pivotal event in this history is the Nakba, or "the catastrophe", that occured in 1948 with the establishment of the state of Israel. It is this year that marks the beginning of Palestinian displacement in which over 700,000 people were forcibly expelled or fled from their homes amid facing the destruction and massacres of their villages. This is where generational trauma begins; many became refugees, others part of the Palestinian diaspora, setting the precedents for a need and eternal desire to return to the homeland. It was during the six day war in 1967 where Israel invaded the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza strip, where Palestinains are still occupied today, where settlement expansion, military presence, forcible removal and destruction of homes, even outside of Gaza, ceaselessly increases. This mass displacement not only reshaped the demographics of Palestine but also laid the foundation for what would become a refugee crisis. Many Palestinians became stateless, living in temporary camps across neighboring countries or within the occupied territories-a condition that, for many, continues to this day.
To fully grasp the severity of this crisis, it is essential to examine the tangible realities that Palestinian children face under occupation, blockade and aerial bombardment. It must be remembered that statistics provide far more than just numbers-they reveal patterns of systemic targeting, personal trauma, and neglect. Among the most disturbing are those related to administrative detention, daily increasing mortality rates, and the profound emotional toll inflicted by daily violence. One particularly relevant source identifies six grave violations against children: the killing and maiming of children, the recruitment and use of children in armed groups, sexual violence, abduction, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the denial of humanitarian access (Boukari et al.). These violations are not abstract-they are far-reaching, ongoing realities in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories. The stakes of this situation could not be higher. The war has robbed children not only of their safety and education, but of their childhood, stability, and in far too many cases, their lives. The youth of Palestine are forced to carry the weight of a war imposed upon them, making it all the more urgent to confront the scope of their suffering and advocate for a future grounded in dignity and generational healing.
The discourse debating casualty numbers in Gaza often centers on whether the victims are primarily combatants or civilians. Proponents of Israeli military actions frequently claim that most casualties are militants; however, this narrative is countered by blatant data and raw facts from international humanitarian organizations. According to United Nations estimates, over 15,000 children have been killed, and approximately one in ten have been maimed or injured due to ongoing hostilities. War Child UK reports that more than 17,000 children have been orphaned or separated from their families as a result of deaths, disappearances, or detentions. These staggering figures underscore the urgent need for enforced demilitarized zones and the protection of civilians-especially children-from military violence. The implementation of international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, must not only be advocated but enforced, with accountability for violations. While this issue holds particular personal relevance given my heritage, the priority to safeguard children transcends all borders, religions and ideologies. At its core, the protection of innocent lives is a universal humanitarian imperative that demands immediate international attention.
Beyond the immediate humanitarian toll, the recurrent bombardments and infrastructural collapse has caused the fundamental international rights of safe learning among children to be completely dismantled, as the educational system in Gaza has become one of the most fragile casualties of ongoing conflict. According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the ongoing war in Gaza will set children's education back by up to five years that risks creating a lost generation of the immutably traumatised youth across Palestine. A report made by a team of academics working in partnership with UNWRA have been the first to comprehensively quantify the war's toll on education since it began in October of 2023, detailing the "devastating impact on children, young people and teachers, supported by new accounts from frontline staff and aid workers." The study was "a joint undertaking involving UNRWA and researchers at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge and the Centre for Lebanese Studies" that had shown "Gaza's children have already lost 14 months of education since 2019 due to COVID-19, earlier Israeli military operations, and the current war." Director of the Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre, University of Cambridge, Professor Pauline Rose stated: "Palestinian education is under attack in Gaza. Israeli military operations have had a significant effect on learning."- "As well as planning for how we rebuild Gaza's shattered education system, there is an urgent need to get educational support for children now. Education is a right for all young people. We have a collective responsibility to protect it," (UNWRA).
Psychological trauma has left thousands of children without access to proper education, and hinders child development; "According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, more than 10,600 children and 400 teachers had been killed in Israeli military operations by August 2024, and more than 15,300 students and 2,400 teachers injured. Hundreds of thousands of young people have been displaced and are living in shelters," (UNWRA). According to these statistics, researchers have calculated that the absence of 14 months of schooling has increased "learning poverty" - and the proportion of illiterate children by age 10 has increased by at least 20%. It was also noted that the accurate figure may even be much higher, as this calculation does not account for the wider impacts of the war on children and educators. According to a 2022 report by Save The Children, the 17-year blockade had already contributed to the psychological consequences on children and their education.
According to War Child, while families in Gaza are confined to overcrowded shelters amid widespread famine, malnutrition, and disease, with approximately 80% of educational facilities completely decimated, children in the West Bank also face major disruptions to their education and healthcare due to military checkpoints that obstruct access to schools and medical services. As the organization explains, "Children in Gaza experience traumatic situations on a daily basis. It is likely that every child there needs urgent mental health support, with many requiring years of specialist treatment as they struggle with anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. It's even harder for them to look ahead to a positive future when education has completely stopped in Gaza and is increasingly inaccessible in the West Bank" (War Child).
Despite forced displacement since 1948, Palestinains remain among the largest refugee populations without protections under global policies, which leads to address the next argument; Palestinians must be formally recognized under international refugee protection laws, which will not only safeguard their rights and ensure consistent legal accountability, but also lay the foundation for restoring opportunity, dignity and stability for the children and future generations of Palestine. An article written by The Palestine Chronicle details why Palestinian refugees were excluded from the 1951 Refugee Convention: "While the diplomats that created the Convention may have been cagey about explicitly naming the Palestinians in the Convention itself, the recorded negotiations leave little doubt that Article 1(D) excludes Palestinians and Palestinians alone. Courts around the world have also unanimously interpreted Article 1(D) to be the Palestinian exclusion provision," (The Palestine Chronicle).
The reasoning behind this exclusion, as presented in the article, stems from the fact that the drafters-primarily European delegations-were focused on addressing the aftermath of World War II in Europe. The 1951 Convention was shaped with European refugees in mind. It wasn't until 1967 that the Protocol expanded the definition to include non-European populations. By then, the establishment of Israel had already displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, forcing many into camps of tent cities that clearly met the conditions of refugee status. Yet, the legal framework was not designed to protect their specific circumstances, sidelining them from the international refugee system. The second reason given was that "many Arab countries did not want Palestinians included in the Refugee Convention since it would impose an obligation on Palestine's neighbors, those same Arab countries, to provide for them", (The Palestine Chronicle).
According to The Conversation, UNRWA was established to protect the social and economic rights of Palestinian refugees, who were denied access to international protections. Excluded from both the 1951 Refugee Convention and the mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Palestinians were left without the legal safeguards afforded to other displaced populations. As the article states, "No alternatives were provided to them." As a result, their security and basic human rights have been left to the discretion of host governments-many of which continue to subject them to marginalization and violence. Today, "Refugees represent 81 percent of Gaza's population of 2.1 million people. The displacement of these stateless refugees goes back to the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, an event known by Palestinians as Al Nakba, or 'the catastrophe,'" (Almustafa).
Child mortality rates are rising-and will continue to rise-without immediate international protection. According to Doctors Without Borders, even aside from relentless shelling, the living conditions in Gaza remain critical, as families are packed into crowded tents or makeshift shelters made of plastic sheeting and other materials, with little to no access to clean water or basic sanitary items like soap. As a result, diseases such as scabies and respiratory infections have significantly increased, especially among children and newborns. Due to the blockade on aid entering Gaza, the cost of basic necessities has soared, further fueling malnutrition, particularly in infants and children. Humanitarian aid and basic medical care are critical to alleviating the suffering of Gazans and addressing the severe shortage of life-saving supplies-especially for the most vulnerable.
"We are treating infants who have infectious diseases, respiratory diseases, and skin diseases. Of course, we saw this before the war, but today we see it much more, and the figures continue to rise," said Dr. Mohammad Abu Tayyem, a pediatrician with MSF working at Nasser Hospital in South Gaza, where over 300 pediatric patients were treated daily. "We see overcrowding in the department, including children with acute pneumonia." In just one year, the healthcare system had been decimated. In the so-called "humanitarian zone," where displaced populations are densely concentrated, MSF provides neonatal, obstetric, and pediatric care at three Primary Healthcare Clinics (PHCCs) and at Nasser Hospital-one of the only functional maternity wards remaining in southern Gaza. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, out of 36 hospitals in Gaza, only 17 remained partially functional as of November 19 (Doctors Without Borders).
Ultimately, the evidence demonstrated in this research paper is an urgent call to action against the ongoing war and advocates for meaningful change, particularly with the intent to protect the most vulnerable population; children. By addressing these issues and improving awareness, better work can be made as we strive to improve the lives of Palestinian youth by creating opportunities for a brighter, more hopeful future.
Works Cited:
