Gaza’s Reconstruction Must Begin With Its Youth

In Gaza, destruction is inescapable—hospitals flattened, schools reduced to rubble, families sheltering beneath plastic sheets. Less visible, but no less consequential, is another kind of ruin: the psychological harm that Israeli blockades, periodic bombardment, and, most acutely, the latest Israel-Hamas war have inflicted on an entire generation of Palestinians. It is this damage that will determine the region’s long-term stability and prospects for peace. The loss of safety, opportunity, and a sense of normalcy have shaped how young Palestinians regulate emotions and think about the future. Anxiety, depression, and despair are widespread among adolescents; left unaddressed, this latent damage will outlast any cease-fire or physical reconstruction, embedding fragility into the social foundations of Palestinian society.