The War on Gaza: Far-Reaching and Long-Term Consequences
The War on Gaza: Far-Reaching and Long-Term Consequences
The ongoing war in the Gaza Strip represents one of the gravest contemporary crises, combining humanitarian catastrophe with escalating environmental destruction. This war is not limited to the heavy toll of lives lost and injured but extends its impact to the natural environment, mental health, education, and food and water security. The interlinkage of these environmental and human dimensions makes this conflict an existential challenge threatening the continuity of dignified life in the besieged territory. This article sheds light on the major environmental, psychological, and educational damages, as well as the lasting health repercussions of the ongoing blockade.
An Environment Under Fire: Invisible Yet Deadly Damage
Relentless air and artillery strikes targeting thousands of residential and vital facilities have released enormous amounts of smoke and pollutants from burning industrial materials such as plastics, metals, paints, and insulation. These fine particles suspended in the air settle deep in the lungs, leading to increased rates of chronic respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, particularly in densely populated areas where avoiding exposure is nearly impossible.
The environmental degradation has not been confined to air pollution alone; it has also reached Gaza's underground water resources, the main source of drinking water for its residents. Sewage networks, treatment plants, and fuel storage facilities have been severely damaged, resulting in the leakage of untreated wastewater and toxic substances into deep aquifers. This contamination threatens the spread of serious diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and hepatitis, making access to clean and safe water even more challenging.
Agricultural lands have also suffered extensive destruction. Direct bombardment, coupled with chemical leakage from munitions and military vehicles, has damaged soil fertility, increased its salinity, and contaminated it with heavy metals. This deterioration undermines the future of local agriculture and exacerbates food insecurity in Gaza, where many families depend on farming for sustenance and income.
Psychological Impact: Invisible Wounds That Never Heal
The psychological scars of war are deeply etched into the consciousness of Gaza's residents, especially children who live daily under the shadow of bombardment, fear, and deprivation. Scenes of loss and destruction have been repeatedly imprinted in their memories, giving rise to clear symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including chronic anxiety, insomnia, recurring nightmares, and a persistent sense of insecurity.
These accumulated traumas extend far beyond the immediate moment of conflict, shaping children's personalities and behavior for years to come. Growing up in an environment dominated by violence and psychological instability increases the likelihood of adopting aggressive or withdrawn behaviors, while undermining their capacity for learning and social interaction. Such psychological breakdowns risk fostering greater societal violence and a deterioration in public mental health in Gaza's future.
Education in the Crossfire: Children's Futures at Stake
As the aggression continues, hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza have been denied their fundamental right to education, whether due to the destruction of schools, their conversion into shelters for displaced families, or the dangerous security situation preventing safe access to classrooms. This forced disruption threatens to rob an entire generation of their opportunity to learn, leading to rising illiteracy rates, diminished cognitive and social skills, and reduced chances of future employment. In turn, this deepens cycles of poverty and increases reliance on humanitarian aid.
The Blockade: Strangling Daily Life and Public Health
The blockade imposed on Gaza for years, now compounded by intensified military escalation, has deprived residents of sufficient food, fuel, medicines, and essential supplies. These harsh conditions have led to widespread malnutrition, particularly among children and pregnant women, resulting in stunting, underweight, and weakened immune systems that heighten vulnerability to infectious diseases.
Water scarcity and contamination have become a dual crisis. The deterioration of water infrastructure has forced many families to rely on saline or polluted water sources, leading to the spread of gastrointestinal diseases such as diarrhea and dysentery, as well as kidney diseases due to high salt content. The collapse of health services has increased rates of chronic illnesses and raised the threat of epidemics.
Children, with their inherent physical and emotional sensitivity, bear the brunt of these circumstances. Malnutrition, environmental pollution, and lack of healthcare services slow their physical and mental growth, impacting their quality of life far into the future.
A Final Word: A Catastrophe Demanding Urgent Global Action
What is unfolding in Gaza is not merely a temporary crisis, but a multifaceted catastrophe that threatens the foundations of life in the long term. Environmental pollution, agricultural collapse, psychological trauma, educational deprivation, and the worsening hunger and thirst crisis are interlinked factors that warn of a bleak future for generations to come.
Overcoming this disaster requires immediate, serious international action, including lifting the blockade, funding reconstruction efforts, rehabilitating infrastructure, and expanding mental health and education programs. Only through these measures can the Palestinian people reclaim their dignity and secure their right to live safely in a stable environment that enables them to build a future free from the ravages of war and destruction.
By Haifaa Ghaith
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
Staffy owner ordered to pay more than $100k over ‘violent and terrifying' attack
EXCLUSIVE A dog owner has been ordered to pay more than $100,000 after their greyhound-staffy attacked a small dog and their owner, who was left with PTSD after the attack, a court has heard. Bridal shop owner Mary Ioannidis, 54, lodged a claim for damages in the NSW District Court after her 11-year-old Shih Tzu named Lexi was attacked in April 2020 while on a walk in Sydney's south. The court heard how Lexi had to have her front left leg completely amputated due to the 'violent and terrifying' attack, which occurred on a suburban street in Mortdale. However, it was the psychiatric impact to Ms Ioannidis that led to damages claim, with John Catsanos SC finding the owner has suffered PTSD as a result of the attack. The court heard how the large greyhound Staffordshire bull terrier, owned by Melissa Carretero, was unrestrained when it viciously attacked Lexi, who was on a retractable lead. '[Ms Ioannidis] described graphically how [Ms Carretero's] dog grabbed Lexi and was throwing her from side to side as [Ms Ioannidis] tried desperately to pick her up,' Judge Catsanos said in his decision. Ms Ioannidis told the court: 'He kept running back and launching at me and he just kept attacking, and he just didn't stop. He didn't stop, and I was falling over and trying to get on my feet.' The court decision detailed how the staffy 'ripped Lexi's whole paw off at the joint' and also bit Ms Ioannidis 'across the neck, her face around the chin, her arm and her legs'. '[Ms Ioannidis] described fingernails being completely ripped off in the chaos of the attack as she was falling over and tripping on the lead, all the time trying not to let go of Lexi,' the decision stated. The court heard how there was luckily a vet nearby which provided Lexi with emergency treatment, including amputation of the leg at the shoulder. Lexi has since died due to unrelated causes. Ms Ioannidis told the court the trauma left her with crippling anxiety and said she has lost 10 kilograms since the attack. Her partner said Ms Ioannidis now 'locks herself in the house' and said it was 'very hard to persuade her to leave.' 'Mentally, I don't cope with very much at the moment or since,' Ms Ioannidis told the court. 'Just my anxiety, being outside, having to run into any dogs. I didn't want to have to deal with any people.' 'I don't do anything. I don't want to go anywhere. It doesn't leave my head. I can't sleep. If I go for a walk, it has to be with someone, and I'm constantly looking over my shoulder.' Staffy owner's defence Ms Carretero admitted her dog attacked Lexi but denied it attacked Ms Ioannidis. She argued to the court that Ms Ioannidis should not be entitled to recover damages for psychiatric injury suffered 'as a result of what happened to Lexi'. She also argued Ms Ioannidis continued to work and often went to the gym since the attack. 'A direct attack was made on the [Ms Ioannidis] bona fides in terms of malingering and exaggerating and it was put to her that there were Instagram posts of her at weddings,' Judge Catsanos wrote in his decision. '[Ms Ioannidis] accepted that she had attended family weddings but said this was very different to working and she nonetheless had difficulties in attending family functions. 'She recounted how on one occasion she had to write a letter to the wedding venue to be able to bring Lexi with her.' Judge Catsanos found Ms Ioannidis had suffered economic loss and would continue to do so due to her PTSD. 'On balance, I find that the dog attack caused the plaintiff to suffer psychiatric injury in the form of PTSD,' Judge Catsanos said in his decision. '[Ms Ioannidis] suffers a genuine psychiatric condition as a result of the attack.' Judge Catsanos ruled damages in the amount of $49,500 for non-economic losses in relation to the mental harm caused, as well as $15,000 for future mental health treatments and $35,000 due to past and future lost income. He also ruled an amount of $2,288.63 for medication and mental health costs which Ms Ioannidis had paid since the attack, with the total damages coming to $101,788.63. Judge Catsanos also ruled Ms Carretero pay Ms Ioannidis' legal costs.
ABC News
13 hours ago
- ABC News
First physical evidence of blast wave injury found in an Australian soldier's brain
The brain of a deceased Australian veteran has been examined by Australian scientists who found evidence of an unusual pattern of brain scarring seen in people repeatedly exposed to blast waves. Warning: This story contains details of a suicide and may disturb some readers. Around 450 serving soldiers and veterans have pledged their brains to the Australian Veterans Brain Bank following their deaths, hoping within them there will be microscopic evidence explaining the invisible damage caused by years of service. Six donor brains have been received, with four now analysed. Blast overpressure occurs when a weapon is fired and the explosion creates an invisible high pressure shock wave which travels through the body — including the brain, damaging the delicate brain tissue. Repeated exposure can cause symptoms like memory loss, aggression, depression and suicidality but the damage often can't be seen on scans in living patients. It's only after death when the brain is dissected that the unique pattern of scarring known as Interface Astroglial Scarring (or IAS) can be seen. The first Australian donor with that distinct pattern of brain scarring was a veteran with repeated exposure to blasts "over a long period of time", said Australian Veterans Brain Brain Bank director Michael Buckland. The brain scarring aligns with findings seen overseas. "There is a disturbing association with problems with mental health and [symptoms mirroring] Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with this brain pathology," Dr Buckland said. "Everyone I've spoken to in the neuropathology community understands that there is brain injury associated with blasts that needs to be actioned." The Australian finding is significant according to former Australian Army Special Forces officer and veterans' advocate Paul Scanlan, who has been campaigning to expose the impact of repeated low-level blasts on Australian soldiers for years. "I hope this helps it be recognised as an injury caused by service, opens up research and funding, and draws more attention to the plight of veterans here." Scientists at the US Department of Defense Brain Bank first discovered the unique pattern of star-shaped scarring between the white and grey matter in the brain known as IAS in 2016. Last year through interviews with dozens of military personnel, veterans and their families, New York Times reporter David Philipps pieced together what the US military had not: A group of elite Navy SEALs who died by suicide all had evidence of blast wave damage within their brains. "Many of the SEALs who died knew that something was going wrong in their head before they died." One of those that died went to great lengths to ensure the message got through. He wrote a suicide note describing his symptoms before killing himself in such a way as to preserve his brain, so it could be then analysed at a state-of-the-art Defense Department laboratory in Maryland. "He set out a stack of books that he had read on concussion and other types of brain injuries and he hoped that would be his legacy," Mr Philipps said. The determination to get their brains to the lab in the hours after their deaths was driven by the widows of the SEALs who suspected something was wrong with their husband's brains, Mr Philipps says. "They were talking to each other. They had learned about this research and this brain lab that had just been set up, and they had really taken it upon themselves to make sure these brains got there — and also make sure that other widows knew about this — often in the hours after their husband's death," Mr Philipps said. Despite all nine brains being analysed in a Defense Department lab, the information never made it back to the SEAL leadership, he said. "There should have been a red flashing light saying 'warning, warning, everyone we've looked at has a brain injury'. "But that just wasn't happening." Dr Buckland from the Australian Veterans Brain Bank has travelled to the US to present his findings and meet scientists from the brain bank there. "At this stage it is a numbers game. The more brains we're able to examine, the more clinical and medical histories we're able to analyse, the faster we're going to get answers," Dr Buckland said. "There is now, at least within the NATO community, consensus that this is an issue and something needs to be done sooner rather than later. "The first thing is trying to stop the injuries occurring in the first place — so regulating exposure, being able to accurately measure exposure — to try and minimise the risk." Chief of Army Lieutenant General Simon Stuart told 7.30 he had been briefed on the AVBB's findings. "We're also working with the US who have over, I think it's about 450 brains in their brain bank. So in terms of being able to draw conclusions from a larger data set, we're very interested in that as well," General Stuart said. The Australian Army has been repeatedly criticised for failing to act swiftly on trials dating back over a decade that have repeatedly found Australian soldiers are at risk of brain injury from blast overpressure during training and combat. General Stuart says he wants to see baseline cognitive testing of soldiers at enlistment and deployment — as well as monitoring and recording their exposure to blasts during training. Both measures which are not yet happening across the ADF. "I'm really keen to make sure that we're doing everything we possibly can to prevent illness or injury wherever we can," Lieutenant General Stuart said. Watch 7.30, Mondays to Thursdays 7:30pm on ABC iview and ABC TV Do you know more about this story? Get in touch with 7.30 here.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
I was 17 when my boyfriend pulled out chunks of my hair. His abuse still haunts me at 43
As I sit in the hairdresser's chair, she lifts some strands of hair to look at the condition, and I freeze. I can already feel beads of sweat starting to form on my back. She asks, 'Been a while since you've had it cut?' I nod. It's been 10 months. I say, 'I've got a sensitive scalp, so can you be careful while washing it, please?' What I don't tell the hairdresser is that I dread anyone touching my head because 25 years ago, the man I loved ripped chunks of hair out while he was throwing me down the stairs. All because I didn't tell him I was going on a night out. For years, I wouldn't set foot inside a salon without taking a beta blocker I was prescribed by my GP for situational anxiety. I grit my teeth as she lathers the shampoo, trying not to think of the sharp pain and tingling I was left with when he yanked my hair so hard that he left me with a bald spot. It has got easier to deal with my hair being touched by strangers, but I never expected painful memories to be triggered so long after the relationship had ended. According to the charity Safe Lives, two-thirds of domestic abuse survivors experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – more than twice the rate experienced by soldiers in combat. New research from the University of Glasgow has found that women who experienced physical abuse in the context of domestic violence risk ongoing mental health disorders despite the exposure to domestic violence having ceased, on average, 27 years before assessment. I met Colin at work when I was 17, and he was 33 (which, to everyone except me, was a huge red flag). I thought I was wise beyond my years, and Colin was everything I was looking for in a mate: strong, funny, intelligent and charming. After a few months of working together, we shared our first kiss on the way home from after-work drinks. He showered me with affection and attention; when we weren't at work, he called and texted constantly, which was flattering at first. Our relationship escalated quickly, and we were living together within three months. It took about six months before Colin became violent, but in the meantime, he had begun to manipulate and control every aspect of my life in ways that were nearly imperceptible at the time. We shared a bank account, but I was scatty and kept 'losing' my debit card, so he persuaded me it would be easier for him to give me a weekly cash allowance. I now think Colin was hiding my card all along. We worked together, so we spent every waking moment in each other's company. He would subtly belittle me in front of colleagues, picking on my insecurities and reinforcing every negative thought I ever had about myself. He poisoned me against my family (who could sense early on that he was bad news), causing an estrangement that would take years to heal. When my friends invited me out, he would guilt me into staying home, often claiming to be unwell. Friends stopped reaching out, and I became increasingly reliant on Colin. As this was my first serious relationship, I had no frame of reference or clue that his behaviour was troubling. The first act of violence happened at Christmas. Colin was sick with the flu, and I'd decided to go to the office Christmas party on a whim without telling him. When I returned to our flat, I discovered I was locked out. I battered at the door, and when Colin opened it, I saw his face twisted into a shape I didn't recognise. He was drunk, and I knew immediately that he was going to hurt me. He hissed, 'You've been with another man, haven't you, you sl-t?' as he grabbed me by the hair and threw me down a short flight of stairs. I banged my head hard, and it took me a minute to get back on my feet. When I did, Colin was standing before me with a chunk of my hair in his hand. Sobbing, I told him, 'I was at the Christmas party, ask anyone in the office,' but he just kept calling me a sl-t. I staggered down the stairs and into the cold December night. I had no idea where to go, I wasn't speaking to my parents, I didn't have any friends I could call. I just sat at a bus stop and wept. After about an hour, I heard footsteps and saw Colin. I cowered, thinking he was going to hurt me, and he started crying. 'I'm so sorry, baby. I don't know what came over me. I am so scared you're going to leave me.' He knelt at my feet and begged for forgiveness, and I found myself comforting him, even after what he'd done to me. He was a master manipulator and lured me back with promises that he'd change, and it would never happen again. But it did. We lived together peacefully for months at a time, then, as soon as he'd drunk too much or had a hard day, the violent rage would return. I lived in hypervigilance, barely talking in case I said something that would trigger Colin's rage. I lived in shame, not telling anyone about the abuse because I believed what was happening to me was my fault. I drank heavily, sank into a deep depression and would often feel disappointed to wake up in the morning. People ask, 'Why didn't you leave?' and I did try. The main issue was that I had nowhere to go. Shelters were full, I still wasn't in a good place with my family, and I had no money. When I did pluck up the courage to leave at age 20, he threatened to take his own life unless I came back to him, another manipulation tactic. In the end, it took three aborted attempts before I left for good, after one final eruption of violence that left me physically scarred and fearing for my life. When I left, I told him if he ever contacted me again, I would phone the police, and he could see that I meant it. I arrived on my parents' doorstep with my life in two bin bags and my mental health in tatters. Leaving was the easy part. Living with what had happened to me was much harder. I lived in a state of near-permanent anxiety and had flashbacks at unexpected moments, like in the hairdresser's chair when my head jerked back as the brush found a tug in my hair. I was right back to that December night, cowering in fear, my scalp on fire. When I had a wisdom tooth extraction, I couldn't look at myself in the mirror for over a week because my swollen, bruised face reminded me of a previous attack. I tried to push the memories down and get on with my life. After some time by myself, I started dating again, but found myself not only distrusting the men I met, but also my instincts. I had initially fallen for what I thought was a great guy, who turned out to be anything but, and was worried I was a terrible judge of character. However, at 21, I met Ronnie, a sweet man who was gentle, kind and understanding. We were married within six months of meeting, much to the surprise of everyone who knew us. I rushed into marriage partly to draw a line under my past because this new relationship came with a new surname and a move to a different city. My husband encouraged me to seek therapy because he had grown up in an abusive household and knew the lasting impact domestic violence could have. I had six sessions of NHS therapy and was diagnosed with PTSD, but that short course of treatment didn't 'fix' me. The therapy brought up a lot of intense and painful emotions, and I felt like I'd never be able to move past what happened to me. I didn't sleep properly for weeks after therapy finished. I felt hopeless and withdrew from my husband and my family, calling in sick to work and spending my days locked in the house, scared to go outside. I began to drink quite heavily one afternoon, pulling all the booze out to the cupboards that I could find. I wanted the pain to go away, and I would do anything I could to make it stop. I started raiding the medicine cabinet for painkillers, popping two handfuls of paracetamol into my mouth and washing them down with wine. I wanted to die. At first, I felt relieved; my pain would soon be over. Then I thought of my family and the people who loved me. I couldn't face the thought of living any more, but I wasn't ready to leave them. I called my husband and told him what I'd done, and he rushed home from work to take me to the hospital, where I promptly threw up all over the waiting room. After some blood tests, the hospital discharged me with a number for the crisis team, whom I was to check in with for the next few weeks, and who encouraged me to be more open with loved ones about how I was feeling. I hadn't been honest about the extent of the abuse, even with my family, so I sat them down and explained how bad things had been, and why I had decided that death was preferable to living with the pain. They were shocked, but started to understand more about how that relationship had forever altered me. Sharing my story with them helped to unload some of the shame I had felt over the relationship. I thought I had deserved what had happened to me, that I had provoked Colin to behave like that, but it was never my fault. I went back to suppressing my pain, mainly by drinking too much. My marriage ended after three years, partly because I had a paranoid mistrust of my husband. Every time my husband did something nice, I felt there had to be an ulterior motive because Colin was never kind for no reason. I've worked hard to rebuild my life after abuse, but have struggled with romantic relationships. Giving so much space and energy to mistrusting and second-guessing a potential partner's every move was exhausting, and I knew I needed to take a break from dating. I haven't been in a long-term relationship since my mid-20s. However, I am open to dating in the future. I've attended therapy on and off for years and began seeing a regular therapist in 2022, who referred me for specialist trauma therapy called eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR). Instead of talking in detail about a distressing issue, EMDR instead focuses on changing the emotions, thoughts or behaviours that result from a distressing experience. Change didn't happen overnight, but the trauma no longer affects me as viscerally as it once did. I thought I was doing much better, but then, last November, I found out Colin had died. You'd think I'd be relieved. It was over; he could never hurt me again. I made an emergency therapy appointment because I found that I was sad about his death. I couldn't understand why until the therapist explained I had spent a lot of our early sessions saying, 'If only he had changed, maybe we could have been happy,' but that was a fantasy. I could never have forced Colin to change; he had to decide to change on his own. Perhaps I was mourning a version of him that didn't exist. Since Colin's death, I feel like I've turned a corner, mainly because the monster who haunted my nightmares wouldn't be coming back to get me. I am taking care of myself a lot better now; I quit drinking eight years ago and am trying my best to shed the heavy weight of past abuse and rebuild trust in others. I'm dating again, but I'm not putting any pressure on myself to find 'the one'. My life revolves around my friends, family, and my dog, a three-year-old spaniel named Bonnie, who gives me a reason to get outside as much as possible, which massively benefits my mental health. Things are less fraught when I go for a haircut, thanks to deep breathing exercises and restricting my trips to the hairdresser to twice a year. I hope I'll get to a point where the pain of the past won't be my whole narrative but rather a line in a chapter of my life story. Perhaps one day I will even enjoy trips to the salon. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
