Mental health services in Gaza

Due to Israel’s decades-long occupation in Palestine, mental health problems have emerged in a large part of the population, especially those living in Gaza, alongside the loss of lives and injuries. While the ongoing war conditions have made it difficult even to meet basic human needs, the provision of mental health services has also been significantly restricted. The aim of this article is to review the data on the epidemiology of mental health among women, children, and adolescents in Gaza over the past 20 years, and to examine the state of mental health services in Gaza, with a particular focus on the periods before and after the events of October 7, 2023. The literature was searched using the keywords “Gaza mental health,” “Palestine mental health,” and “Gaza child psychiatry.