Due to some controversy related to the collection of this footage, please reach out to oPT FCM and/or CAs for guidance on usage.

From 10th to 21st of May 2021, Israeli airstrikes and shelling on the Gaza Strip killed 256 people, including 66 children. Around 2,000 Palestinians were injured during the bombing, including over 600 children and 400 women, some of whom sustained injuries resulting in long-term disability such as loss of limbs or eyesight. In Israel, there were 13 deaths and 700 injuries as a result of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. On May 21st, 2021, an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire came into effect and the bombings stopped.

Even prior to last year’s bombings, most Palestinians in Gaza had already experienced the trauma of war, most notably in 2014 and during the Great March of Return in 2018. This trauma – of fearing for your life, of seeing your home in ruins, and of daily economic hardship – was compounded by events in May 2021. The mental health crisis in Gaza is now even more acute.