Sima Alami, adolescent and youth programme officer at UNFPA, described a mental health emergency in Gaza: more than one million children require urgent psychosocial support.
96% of children in Gaza feel death is imminent. Among adolescents, 61% suffer from PTSD, 38% from depression, and 41% from anxiety. One in five adults contemplates suicide daily.
Girls face heightened risks. Child marriage-down from 25.5% in 2009 to 11% in 2022-has surged again. Seventy-one percent of surveyed families report increased pressure to marry girls under 18. Over 400 emergency marriage licenses were issued for girls aged 14-16.
Ten percent of newly registered pregnancies in Gaza in 2025 are among adolescents-a sharp rise. Only 15% of health facilities can deliver emergency obstetric care. Sixty-three percent of married minors report physical, psychological, or sexual violence. Over 100 suicides or attempted suicides have been documented among survivors.
In the West Bank, escalating violence and movement restrictions fuel chronic anxiety. UNFPA operates over 35 safe spaces, 15 multi-purpose youth centres-including 11 girls-only-and the digital Youth Window helpline. Yet displacement, resource shortages, and tent-based operations in extreme weather severely constrain response.