Four out of the five children in the occupied 'West Bank' and 'East Jerusalem' whose homes have been destroyed by Israeli, authorities said that they have lost faith that anyone can help or protect them and feel “abandoned by the world”, child rights organisation save the Children has found.
The report published on Monday comes as Palestinians living in the 'Sheikh Jarrah' and 'Silwan' community of occupied 'East Jerusalem' face dismissal from their homes to make way for 'Israelian' settlers, the pending decisions by the 'Israeli Supreme Court'.
The report said, heading-Hope under the rubble: the impact of Israel’s home distortion policy on Palestinian children and their families, consulted 217 Palestinian families across the occupied 'West Bank' and 'East Jerusalem', all of whom had their homes destroyed by Israeli authorities in the past ten years.
However children surveyed but 80 percent said that they had lost their faith in the abilities of the international community, authorities and even their parents to help and protect them. They also reported feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness about the future, report said
“Nobody stopped them, or could stop them again, from destroying our homes, our lives. So why should I care to dream about a good future?
The report also found that, around 76 percent of parents and caregivers feel powerless, hopeless and unable to protect their children after losing their homes. Majority of Palestine people also said they feel shame, anxious and anger, while 35 percent said they felt emotionally faraway from their children.
The majority of children when they interviewed showed high rates of disturbed, including their feelings of sadness, fear, depression and anxiety. Children described about having frequent nightmares--feeling like nowhere is safe for them, and being anxious with fear and terror the report said.
“All I have are sad memories. I still feel mentally disturb by the soldiers and their dogs attacking and injuring my father [during the demolition],” Ghassan*, 15, told Save the Children.
“I have nightmares about the bulldozers ripping away every stone in our house, and the sounds of the explosions still haunt me.”
Faris*, 14, said: “We keep moving around to find somewhere to live – the instability is driving me crazy. I feel that wherever I go, they will come for me and destroy my life.”
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