Areej Ashour has spent the last year trapped in a relentless cycle of violence and survival. Live in a tent with her husband and four children after being displaced from their home in western Gaza City.
Since the beginning of the offensive Israel against Gaza in October 2023Ashour has faced the trauma of displacement and the psychological pressure of her husband’s deteriorating mental health, which has left her feeling isolated and more vulnerable.
Areej’s family has been displaced several times since the war began. At first, they sought refuge in Rafah, spending two days on the streets before finally finding shelter in a school converted into a shelter. “At first, my husband and I were crammed into a classroom with his family,” she recalls. “After two days on the street, we had no other option. But then my family in northern Gaza contacted me, desperate and hungry from the siege. They begged to come to the south, and when they arrived, everything was filled. The stress was unbearable and arguments began between my family and my in-laws. “I felt like everything was collapsing around us.”
The situation got worse when Areej was separated from her husband and children for three agonizing weeks. “I couldn’t sleep or eat. Every day I got in touch, hoping to hear some news about my children,” he explains. “The most difficult moments were when I listened bombings near them. Every explosion tore my heart 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 used to run a cafe by the beach, a place that brought us joy and stability. Now, he is mentally exhausted by the war and bursts into anger,” he explains. “Every time I ask him for something, anything, he gets angry because he feels helpless. He believes that he has failed us, and that frustration often manifests itself as anger directed at me.”
Areej’s fear of losing her family deepens her stress. “I am terrified of losing the right to see my children.” if we separate,” she adds, her voice trembling as she acknowledges that the 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 scars of this conflict will last for generations, with the Women and children are the 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 being the most affected. A survey of 305 women conducted by UN Women revealed alarming statistics: 75% reported feeling depressed regularly, 62% struggled with insomnia and 65% experienced frequent nervousness and nightmares.
The emotional cost of family separation
Family separation has become an all-too-common crisis in Gaza, compounding the pain in an already desperate situation. Saidah Abu Sharikh, a mother of eight, has faced 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 it. “Now I am the mother and the father,” he says, his voice thick with emotion. “The burden of taking care of our family falls 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 talked to him on the phone yesterday, and I said, ‘I can almost smell you through the phone.’ Then I cried. I miss him a lot, but I have to be strong for our children.”
Saida’s pain deepened when her 23-year-old son lost a leg in a bombing shortly after they fled. “That day was supposed to be one of joy,” he remembers. “My son had just found a job filling water containers for displaced families. We were so happy; he was going to be able to support us. We celebrated it the only way we knew how: making coffee, laughing and sharing pipes. But then we heard screams that a nearby building would 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’m just going to go and leave this at the store for a moment.’ But as soon as he got to the store, the area was bombed and he lost his leg.”
Her son has endured 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 try to be brave for him and for all my children,” he says. But the pain is unbearable.