Dr. Yasser Abu Jamei Publishes Powerful Testimony on Gaza’s Mental Health Crisis in CounterPunch

Dr. Yasser Abu Jamei Publishes Powerful Testimony on Gaza’s Mental Health Crisis in CounterPunch

Amid the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, Dr. Yasser Abu Jamei, Director General of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP), has published a deeply moving and insightful article titled "Living Through the Unimaginable: a Testament from Gaza" on the prominent U.S.-based progressive platform CounterPunch.

In this powerful piece, Dr. Abu Jamei sheds light on the profound psychological toll of the 20-month-long genocide on the people of Gaza, particularly on children and families. He outlines how a relentless cycle of bombardment, displacement, hunger, and loss has left entire communities in psychological and emotional turmoil.

The article highlights the heartbreaking reality of children surviving on one inadequate meal a day, watching their loved ones die, and grappling with nightmares, trauma, and behavioral changes. Meanwhile, parents suffer from guilt, depression, and anxiety, unable to meet their families’ most basic needs.

Dr. Abu Jamei writes not just as a mental health professional, but as a witness and survivor. He recounts intimate stories from the field: of children who stopped speaking or eating out of fear, of therapists offering crayons and kindness as lifelines, and of community members who continue to show resilience despite unfathomable loss.

“In times of genocide, the question is not only how we provide care,” Dr. Abu Jamei writes, “but why the world continues to allow genocide to persist.” He underscores the urgent need for international action, not just words, to uphold Palestinians’ right to health, safety, dignity, and life.

The article also explores the concept of resilience within the Palestinian context—not as a romanticized notion, but as a forced necessity. Despite decades of occupation, blockade, and war, Palestinians continue to seek education, care for one another, and hold onto hope. Yet resilience, he reminds readers, does not mean the absence of suffering.

Through this article, Dr. Abu Jamei calls on the international community to recognize the ongoing genocide, to move beyond silence and condemnation, and to act meaningfully in defense of humanity.

Read the full article on:

counterpunch.org