‘My whole life has become fear, anxiety, sadness and misery’ – occupied Palestinian territory

More and more children are being separated from their families as the war in Gaza continues and now spreads into Lebanon. Despite the unceasing efforts of SOS Children’s Villages and partners since 7 October last year, children need more assistance and resources from the international community.

‘My whole life has changed. It has become fear, anxiety, tension, sadness and misery. All I think about is how to keep my sisters, brothers and I safe and not be exposed to death.’

Those are the words of Rawan*, an 18-year-old woman who lives inside the SOS Children’s Villages tent encampment in Gaza. Reflecting on one year of war, Rawan says she looks for comfort in her caregiver and a close friend.

Across the border, in Israel, another child growing up in an SOS Children’s Villages recounts the fear after the attack last 7 October. She also turns to her caregivers for comfort.

‘I was afraid at the beginning, I didn’t know what war means, but my caretakers explained to us the situation and I got a hug that really helped me and made me feel calm,’ says Limor*, 13. ‘The staff explained to all of the kids in my house what is happening, that there is a war between Gaza and Israel and in school the teachers helped us too.’

‘We want to go back to our homes and friends’

A child in Lebanon, Yara*, mirrors her words: ‘We’ve heard scary sounds like bombings and received frightening news. Everyone around us was stressed and afraid. We were also moved from our SOS Children’s Village, which made us understand how other displaced children feel.

‘When I feel stressed, I talk to my mom because her words help ease my fear. She knows me well and knows how to comfort me with her loving words,’ Yara says.

All three children, who are cared for at SOS Children’s Villages, yearn for the day that the conflict and destruction will cease. But one year on from the first attacks on 7 October, the war shows no sign of ending. On the contrary, the war is expanding into a regional conflict, threatening to put more children at risk of losing parental care.

Children the forgotten victims of conflict

Children exposed to war are likely to experience trauma, grief and loss, regardless of where they are from. They are often the forgotten victims of conflict. And as children comprise around 47 percent of Gaza’s population, the impact of this conflict on children is particularly acute.

Indeed, in Gaza alone, where by far most of the destruction has taken place, between 15,000 and 19,000 children are estimated to have lost their parents or caregivers in the war. More than 10,000 Palestinians, mostly children and women, are reportedly missing. During the summer at least 17,000 children were estimated to be unaccompanied or separated from their parent, but that figure will now have risen.

Number of unaccompanied children likely to increase

Child protection risks range from family separation, abandonment, physical and environmental dangers, injuries, psychosocial and emotional distress. Those involved in child protection agree that the number of unaccompanied and separated children is likely to increase. This is because of the repeated mass displacements and the associated risk of primary and secondary family separation, which has increased drastically.

Many children have been identified in hospitals, medical points, shelters, during recreational activities for children and the distribution of supplies. According to the International Rescue Committee, doctors in Gaza have also reported that many children effectively live in hospital as there is no-one else to take care of them. In short, the war has made already vulnerable children completely left on their own.

Children at major risk of exploitation

Furthermore, children without any care in Gaza are much more likely to then succumb to secondary risks. Children without parental care are especially exposed to many different forms of exploitation, including child labor, sexual abuse, engagement in illegal activities, neglect, starvation, illegal adoption and discrimination. They are likely to suffer poor mental health, as well as grief and depression; there are also high rates of disability, violence, injury and death. The longer a child is separated from their caregiver, the greater their exposure to these risks.

Given the scale of destruction, family reunifications across Gaza are very challenging.. As a staff member from SOS Children’s Villages Gaza, who wished to remain anonymous, makes clear:

‘When families have no income, they can’t offer proper care for their children, so they look for places that can offer the care. And this is both in the West Bank and Gaza. In Gaza it is worse, because in addition to not having an income, their homes were destroyed, they went through repetitive displacements. Some families in our programs moved seven times.’

Some efforts have been successful, but the reality of on the ground means that many children and parents still tragically wait to be reunited.

More and more families find it difficult to take care of their children. Violence is on the rise, and more children are referred to emergency centers. The precise number is currently difficult to estimate, although SOS Children’s Villages has seven or eight children waiting to be placed in our programs at any given time.

Strain on resources and existing care systems

It remains very difficult to provide stable and secure environments for children in Gaza. There are generally three reasons for this. Firstly, limited financial and material resources strain existing care systems. Secondly, there are obvious concerns about safety, with care facilities at risk of being damaged. In Gaza, shelters and medical facilities are frequently targeted. Thirdly, war often results in a shortage of trained caregivers and mental health professionals.

But this is not to suggest that no assistance can be, or has been, provided for these children. Once a child who is unaccompanied or separated child is found, SOS Children’s Villages, UNICEF and the Ministry of Social Development are notified. If the case is approved, the child will be referred to SOS Children’s Villages in Palestine, where they will be taken in charge until reunified with their caregivers and the case can be closed. Some 60 children without parental care were taken in by SOS Children Villages, a number of whom were reunified with their families, while other may find a permanent home in our care.

Children evacuated from Gaza to the West Bank

SOS Children’s Villages provides temporary care in small scale family-like care setting for unaccompanied children, or those without their legal or customary caregivers.

Working through diplomatic channels, in March, we evacuated a total of 68 children from the SOS Children’s Village Rafah in Gaza, as well as 11 staff members and their families to Bethlehem on the West Bank. All aged between two and 14 years, the children arrived safely in the care of SOS Children’s Villages. They had already lost parental care before the war.

Then at the end of May, SOS Children’s Villages began an emergency relocation of children and adults from the village in Rafah due to a dramatically heightened security risk. All 33 children residing at the location in Rafah arrived unharmed at an alternative location in central Gaza.

The now displaced group includes children, support staff, former program participants and their families. They have reached their provisional new locations, which are situated within the area designated as a ‘safe zone’.

‘Children deeply affected by losing their homes again’

More recently, children and staff had to be relocated in Lebanon, from the SOS Children’s Village in Ksarnaba, to the village in Kfarhay, in North Lebanon.

‘We carefully communicated why the move was necessary and why Kfarhay was chosen,’ says Ghada Hachem, National Director of SOS Children’s Villages in Lebanon. ‘The children, especially those over six, were deeply affected by the fear of losing their homes again. The uncertainty about their academic year added to their worries, as they missed their homes, friends and schools.’

As Ms Hachem makes clear: ‘Our priority at SOS Children’s Villages was to maintain a safe and nurturing environment for the children. We restructured activities to keep the children engaged and supported among the uncertainty.’

Preparation for potential escalation

A number of positive steps have been taken to provide psychological support for those affected. In Israel, SOS Children’s Villages has been prepared for potential escalation by equipping shelters with necessities for long stays, such as generators, food, water, and occupational and learning activities. To reduce anxiety, comprehensive educational and recreational activities have been provided to keep children focused. Therapy and other psychological treatments have been offered for children, and night staff have been reinforced to inculcate a greater sense of safety.

In Israel, SOS Children’s Villages has provided psychological first aid training for caregivers, staff, and youth; conducted mental health awareness sessions; and developed tools for social workers, educators, and psycho-pedagogical leaders to effectively support children.

Reaching out to an additional 500 families

The SOS Children’s Villages team in Lebanon have a similar focus on psychosocial support. As Ghada Hachem explains that a new project focused on empowering vulnerable families within the community was also introduced this year. In addition to the families already supported, SOS Children’s Villages in Lebanon reached out to 500 more. They are being provided with financial assistance and psychosocial support sessions, complementing the regular family strengthening programme.

‘These efforts have been instrumental in preventing family breakdowns and supporting those in need,’ Ms Hachem says.

In Israel, existing emergency centers are being expanded to receive more children, and new day care centers are being opened in the Bedouin sector. Dedicated support groups have been created for children with family members directly involved in the war, while staff are being trained to deal with the complex traumas that children are experiencing. Finally, we are working with trauma specialists who treat children from war zones and developing tailored programs in response.

Understandably, however, it is in Gaza that the teams from SOS Children’s Villages have faced the greatest challenges. Our staff member there tells us that:

‘Education stopped for an entire year. It was only lately that we started talking about what we call ‘learning spaces’, which in fact has the objective of improving the psychological health of the children, more than an educational objective.’

Even staying in touch with families has been very difficult, given that telecommunications have been so badly disrupted. ‘Most families who were in the north of Gaza fled to the south and for many months we had no information where they were. However, we were able to get phone numbers of some of the families of the children, and we could establish contact again. It was very important to reestablish contact between children and their biological families.’

The SOS Children’s Villages teams also work hard towards providing stability for the children in their care, where ‘they have a caregiver, siblings, a home, that they go to school, do activities. The children originally came from unstable environments, so our objective was to bring them a state of stability. The war destroyed it.’

That’s why resilience and tools for coping with stress and anxiety that can serve children in their later adult lives also need to be developed. Addressing these issues early through comprehensive care and support can mitigate some negative long-term effects of the war.

An immediate ceasefire is imperative

The international community of course still has a major role to play, as the President of SOS Children’s Villages International, Dereje Wordofa has made clear on the first anniversary of the war:

‘We call on all parties to respect International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights, especially those protecting children. To save the lives of children caught in warzones, we must ensure safe humanitarian access, including food, water, shelter, medical care, trauma treatment, and psychosocial support. There is only one durable solution: the international community must take decisive action, intensifying diplomatic efforts to bring an end to this conflict and current escalations in the region. War has no place in the lives of children, anywhere. An immediate ceasefire is imperative. The time to act is now.’

There also needs to be greater financial aid and resources to support alternative care systems and affected families. Policies must be advocated that protect children’s rights and ensure their well-being during conflicts. Greater collaboration, with more work with local organizations to provide on-the-ground support and tailored interventions for specific needs are all also essential.

‘I want to stand for the rights of every person’

The final word should perhaps go to Yara, who lives at the SOS Children’s Villages in Lebanon. Of all people, she could have given up hope, but has chosen not to.

‘I dream of becoming a lawyer,’ she says. ‘I want to stand for the rights of every person who was deprived of his or her rights or faced injustice. But for now, I hope for peace to return to Lebanon so that we can have our old, peaceful days back in our village. I also wish for everyone to stay safe and happy.’