War-related trauma in narratives of Gazans: challenges, difficulties and survival coping.

Abstract

The Israeli escalation of violence and oppression in Gaza, particularly following the events of October 7, 2023, has deepened the trauma and exacerbated the already grievous conditions of dispossession and exploitation faced by Palestinians. The present exploratory work sought to analyze war-related traumatic experiences among Gazans following the recent Israeli genocide against Gazans. Thirty participants (mean age for males = 32.45 years, SD = 10.13; mean age for females = 30.28 years, SD = 9.15; range 19-57) were recruited via snowball sampling. Interviews were analyzed through thematic content analysis. Thematic content analysis of the interview transcripts led to the identification of five main themes: (1) challenges and difficulties faced Gazans, (2) traumatic experiences related to war, (3) feelings and emotions among Gazans living in refugee camps, (4) how do Gazans perceive the future and (5) survival coping employed by Gazans following the on-going genocide against the Gaza Strip. The findings of this study highlight the profound humanitarian crisis in Gaza, calling for urgent attention to the ongoing crisis in Gaza and advocating for comprehensive humanitarian support and psychological interventions to address the deep-seated trauma and help rebuild lives shattered by conflict.