'A million children in Gaza will need psychological and social support'

One hundred per cent of children in Gaza require future psycho-social support, says the War Child Alliance, which believes "100 per cent" of children will be affected by trauma from the country's war with Israel.

The International Rescue Committee has warned that over 50,000 children in the region are living alone, triple previous estimates. The IRC says they're at risk of exploitation, neglect and starvation.

Rob Williams, chief executive of the War Child Alliance, revealed how heavy the impact of war can be on the youngest members of society, saying that it is far more severe than previously expected.

"A child who's experienced severe trauma from a conflict will often show signs of either being very, very quiet and very withdrawn or quite aggressive," Williams explained. "Very difficult behaviour can often come out from children who are struggling to cope internally. Many children will have troubled sleeping, have very vivid nightmares. Some can be so distressed they lose the ability to speak."

He added："While you'd normally expect around 22 per cent of children who have been through conflict to need some kind of psycho-social support, in Gaza it's almost 100 per cent. Possibly a million children will need psycho-social support in the coming years."

Williams shone a light on the struggles children are facing after being left, in many cases, without their parents or older family members as they attempt to fend for themselves in horrific circumstances.

He added: "It makes them very, very vulnerable to all kinds of issues. In any conflict, children are the most vulnerable people. They're not old enough to know how to navigate the situation and the traumatic experiences they're witnessing are happening to people who just don't have the emotional maturity to be able to process the terrible things they are seeing.

"A child can often become very, very self-absorbed and mentally dominated by the scenes they're seeing. If a child ends up on their own or living with a sibling, they need so much support to find food, get shelter."

With the conflict now over a year old, Williams feels there is no "escape" for children in the region, meaning the issues simply increase.

Asked how much the length of the war had impacted the suffering, he replied: "Significantly. If you have a population that's under attack, they're able to move location. In Gaza, they can't escape the dangers of being in Gaza.

"There is a sense there's no actual safe place, so the trauma mounts. We can't just leave them to have this relentless build-up of trauma. We're trying to address it in real time."

Subscribe to Storyboard: A weekly newsletter bringing you the best of CGTN every Friday