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The people of Gaza and the West Bank are being psychologically tortured. They are subject to a brutal genocide, and everyone has lost a parent, a child, a sibling, a relative or a friend. This is every one of the two million remaining Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. There are 45000 deaths from trauma that we know about, as well as those buried under the rubble, and those who have died from drinking infected water, lack of food, injuries from living in ruins, and infectious communicable diseases.
This leaves the people of Palestine deeply traumatised. Even before October 7th 2023, half of the population suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. This is now all of the population. They are sleep deprived and live in tents or ruins, and the winter is coming.
They need to be able to talk to someone who is sympathetic and able to support them psychologically. Just having contact with the outside world will raise their spirits – knowing that they are not forgotten. We cant heal the wounds from this genocide, but we can do our best to give them a sympathetic ear and try to help them through this living hell.
The occupying forces take pleasure in causing distress and suffering. They target journalists, youtubers, bloggers, writers, artists and photographers. They target water engineers and medical professionals. They target children – using them for target practice.
These tactics of the occupying forces are designed to attack the population’s will to carry on and defend their land, their culture and their spirit. You can help to fight these tactics.
Helping others by talking to them is a human instinct. However, it is worth understanding some of the principles of psychological first aid. Here is the World Health Organisation advice on giving psychological first aid in several languages. You can download it.
Remember that giving this help can work both ways. It might make you feel better because you are helping, but you may also feel distressed because of the stories that you will hear. Seek help yourself if this happens.