RAMALLAH – A UN agency said that the incidence of psychological trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the Gaza Strip has risen by more than 100 percent following the last Israeli aggression there. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said that from November to December the number of people it treated in Gaza for psychological trauma or PTSD had doubled. The agency said that 42 percent of those treated in the Gaza Strip were below nine years of age. UNRWA said that these latest statistics, gathered from its health facilities in the coastal strip, support the findings of the most recent survey of Gazan children from the UN children's agency UNICEF, which found sharp rises in conflict-related psychological disturbances. Egypt mediated a ceasefire deal which ended eight days of Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip. The conflict saw 175 Palestinians and six Israelis killed. The Hamas government said that a total of 200 buildings were demolished, and around 8,000 damaged. Akihiro Seita, Director of UNRWA's health program, said that these figures represent a significant rise in mental health problems. “From my experience, I would say this is evidence of a psychological trauma and PTSD epidemic,” he said. “Remember that these stats do not reflect our anecdotal evidence, which suggests there are a huge number of unreported cases”, Seita added. “On my first visit to Gaza after the war, I was overwhelmed by how much mothers and children suffered from the sheer scale and magnitude of the bombardments. All the mothers I met in UNRWA's health centers said their children behaved differently during and after the war. Some don't sleep well, some don't eat well, and some don't speak well.” UNICEF released the findings of a rapid psychosocial assessment of children in Gaza following the ggression. It found a 91 percent increase in sleep disturbances among children, while 84 percent of respondents were reported as looking “stunned or dazed”, and 85 percent reported “appetite changes”. In its latest report to the World Health Assembly published in May last year, UNRWA presented evidence of an increase in “stress-related disorders and mental health problems” among the Palestine refugees it serves. In response to these growing health needs, UNRWA has rolled out a new model of health care called Family Health, by which Palestine refugee families receive health care as a whole unit. “UNRWA is stepping up its psychosocial counseling at schools and through home visits in response to this sharp rise in PTSD cases,” said UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness, while appealing for more funds to meet the growing demand for UNRWA's mental health work. “Our community mental health program in Gaza costs some $3 million annually,” Gunness said. “To meet the growing demand for mental health care, we desperately need more funds from our traditional donors and individuals.” On Friday, the EU said it will provide €40 million to UNWRA's 2013 regular budget (General Fund) in order to support the education, health, relief and social services programs which UNWRA is responsible for providing for Palestine refugees in the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. The EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said that the European Union is again doing its utmost to underpin the ability of the PA and UNRWA to deliver essential services to the Palestinian people without interruption.
