Areej Ashour spent the last year locked in a incessant cycle of violence and survival. Living in a tent with her husband and four children after being displaced from their home in western Gaza City.
Since the start of the offensive Israel against Gaza in October 2023Ashour faced the trauma of displacement and the psychological pressure of her husband’s deteriorating mental health, which left her feeling isolated and more vulnerable.
Areej’s family has been displaced several times since the start of the war. They initially sought refuge in Rafah, spending two days on the streets before finally finding refuge in a school transformed into a shelter. “At first, my husband and I were crowded into a classroom with his family,” she recalls. “After two days on the street, we had no other choice. But then my family from northern Gaza contacted me, desperate and hungry because of the siege. They begged to come south, and when they arrived, everything was full. The stress was unbearable and arguments started between my family and my in-laws. “I felt like everything was collapsing around us.”
The situation has gotten worse when Areej was separated from her husband and children for three agonizing weeks. “I couldn’t sleep or eat. Every day, I contacted him, hoping to have news of my children,” he explains. “The hardest moments were when I listened bombings nearby. Every explosion tore my heart out because I didn’t know if they were safe.”
After being reunited, Areej and her husband had to move again, this time to Deir al-Balah, where they now survive in a tent. “My husband has changed. He is no longer the man I knew. He ran a beachside café, a place that brought us joy and stability. Now he is mentally exhausted from the war and bursts into anger,” he explains. “Every time I ask him for something, anything, he gets angry because he feels helpless. He thinks he’s let us down, and this frustration often manifests itself as anger directed at me.
Areej’s fear of losing her family increases her stress. “I am terrified of losing the right to see my children.” if we separate,” she adds, her voice trembling, acknowledging that problems with her husband have led her to consider divorce.
Although the immediate survival remains an urgent concern amid the attacks, the mental health crisis in Gaza is equally worrying. Experts warn that the psychological aftereffects of this conflict will last for generations. Women and children are most affected by trauma.
According to UN Women, almost the entire population of Gaza suffers from accumulated trauma, with women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities most affected. A survey of 305 women by UN Women revealed alarming statistics: 75% reported feeling depressed regularly, 62% suffered from insomnia and 65% suffered from nervousness and frequent nightmares.
The emotional cost of family separation
Family separation has become an all-too-common crisis in Gaza, adding to the pain of an already desperate situation. Saidah Abu Sharikh, a mother of eight, was confronted with this heartbreaking reality. After fleeing south with their children, her husband decided to stay in northern Gaza, fearing that their home would be destroyed if he left. “Now I am the mother and father,” he said, his voice full of emotion. “The burden of caring for our family rests solely on my shoulders, and it’s overwhelming. Every day I feel the pressure intensifying. He stayed out of fear, but now the burden falls on me alone. I spoke to him on the phone yesterday and I said, “I can almost feel you on the phone.” Then I cried. I miss him a lot, but I have to be strong for our children. »
Saida’s pain was compounded when her 23-year-old son lost a leg in a bomb attack shortly after they fled. “That day was supposed to be a day of joy,” he remembers. “My son had just found a job filling water containers for displaced families. We were so happy; he would be able to support us. We celebrated it the only way we knew how: by making coffee, laughing and sharing a pipe. But then we heard screams announcing that a nearby building was going to be bombed. I told him: “We have to go now.”. He had just returned from the market with a plate of food. He said, “I’ll just leave this in the store for a moment.” But as soon as he arrived at the store, the area was bombed and he lost his leg. »
Her son has undergone 25 surgeries since that day. Despite her efforts to stay strong for him, Saidah feels her heart breaking every day. “I celebrated his birthday at the hospital to cheer him up, but inside I am devastated. “I’m trying to be brave for him and for all my children,” he said. But the pain is unbearable.
