Children of Gaza: stories of those who died and the trauma for those who survived

Israel has consistently claimed how its citizens have suffered as a result of Hamas rockets - as they doubtlessly have - and in particular highlighted how children have been bed-wetting because of the rocket-fire. All probably true.

So, it is timely to reflect on how the children of Gaza are doing after some 18 months of a blockade and now after the latest 21 day hammering of the tiny sliver of land called Gaza with 1.5 million people packed into it.

The Guardian reports in detailed and graphic terms the horrendous damage inflicted on Gaza's children. Not rocket throwers! Not Hamas fighters! Not combatants! Just children.

"Only now, after most of the dead have been buried, is the first properly researched reckoning of the toll emerging. What already stands out is the striking cost borne by the children of Gaza, who make up more than half of the 1.5 million people living in this overcrowded strip of land.

The Palestinian death toll after three weeks of Israel's war was 1,285, according to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, or 1,268, according to the al-Mezan Human Rights Centre. Among those dead were at least 280 children.

The impact will be felt by many more for years to come. Among the more than 4,000 people injured more than a quarter were children, some left with severe disabilities. The Gaza Community Health Programme estimates that half Gaza's children – around 350,000 – will develop some form of post-traumatic stress disorder."

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