🕊️ “When I die, will they bury me next to my mom and dad?”

A question no child should ever ask.

Yet in Gaza, this is the brutal reality for so many Palestinian children, orphans overnight, left to grieve in the ruins of their homes, carrying questions that no child should even know how to form.

This question it's real.

It was documented by clinicians at the Palestine Trauma Center-UK. 

It appears in a powerful series created in collaboration with the #NoChildATarget campaign (https://lnkd.in/d754mmf3) a reminder that even amidst horror, the voices of children are trying to be heard.

These children are not just mourning their families.

They are trying to understand death itself.

They ask not if they’ll die, but where they’ll be buried.

They wonder if their amputated legs will grow back.

🧠 From a neuroscientific perspective, the impact of war on the developing brain is catastrophic.

Early childhood is the most sensitive period for brain development. The brain is forming essential neural circuits for emotional regulation, memory, and trust. 

When exposed to persistent, overwhelming trauma: especially without a safe caregiver to buffer the stress, the child’s nervous system is locked in survival mode.

🔺 Cortisol and adrenaline flood the brain, impairing growth in key areas:

The amygdala becomes hyperactive, increasing fear and aggression.

The hippocampus, crucial for memory and learning, shrinks.

The prefrontal cortex, responsible for reasoning and emotional control, weakens.

🧠 Psychologically, these children are being robbed of what attachment theory tells us is most fundamental: the presence of a loving, reliable caregiver.

Children co-regulate their emotions through their parents.

When a parent dies (especially in a violent & sudden way) the child is left with unprocessed grief, fragmented attachment, and emotional dysregulation.

This trauma is not just "sadness." It’s complex PTSD in its most extreme form.

Without sustained psychological care, these children face a future marked by:

Dissociation

Night terrors and insomnia

Trust issues

Emotional numbing

Depression and suicidal ideation

Developmental delays

Difficulty forming healthy relationships

And it doesn’t go away when the bombs stop.

#HumanitarianCrisis #FreePalestine #Genocide