Majority of Gazans wish to die rather than live with violence: study

A new study published by the Assessment Capacities Project (ACAPS), a Swiss research group, has revealed the dire mental health situation in Gaza due to the Israeli military offensives.

The report, based on interviews with humanitarian responders, paints a bleak picture of the psychological toll on Palestinians in the besieged enclave.

A massive increase in mental health needs was reported across the region, with "widespread depression, anxiety, and trauma affecting both adults and children".

Alarmingly, many Gazans, including children, have expressed a desire to die rather than endure further "displacement, violence, and deprivation".

The study revealed that almost all of the estimated 1.2 million children in Gaza require psychological help.

They are suffering from mental problems, including anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and regressive behaviors like bedwetting, it added.

The absence of a safe haven in Gaza exacerbated the mental health crisis, as security is a fundamental requirement for effective support.

The report highlighted the urgent need to address the mental health needs of Gazans, particularly children, who are struggling to cope with the relentless violence and trauma.

Israel's military offensives in Gaza since Oct 7 have resulted in devastating losses, with over 40,000 Palestinians killed, including 16,456 children and 11,000 women.

The United Nations (UN) reported that two-thirds of buildings across the Gaza Strip have been "damaged or destroyed." Israeli attacks have also killed at least 270 aid workers.

The restrictions on food, water, medicine, and fuel supplies have exacerbated the situation in Gaza.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) directed Israel to ensure basic services and humanitarian aid delivery in the besieged enclave.

The Palestinian government's information office reported that almost 1.7 million Gazans have been displaced due to relentless air and artillery strikes by the Israeli military.

Thousands of children in Gaza have been diagnosed with malnutrition, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). 

“A significant proportion of Gaza’s population is now facing catastrophic hunger and famine-like conditions,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom said on June 12 while talking to reporters.

Earlier, the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) head Cindy McCain said people in Gaza are starving to death.

"The speed at which this man-made hunger and malnutrition crisis has ripped through Gaza is terrifying,” he added.

“To have 50 percent of an entire population in catastrophic, near-famine levels, is unprecedented,” Beth Bechdol, the deputy director general of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), said.

The WFP estimated that around 1.1 million people are "struggling with catastrophic hunger and starvation" due to Israel's severe restrictions on food, water, medicine, and fuel supplies to the besieged enclave.