**Newborn Faces Harsh Reality Amid Gaza Conflict**

Mohammad al-Abadla was born into chaos on October 7, 2023, as Israel began its military response to Hamas attacks. His mother, Amal al-Abadla, an architect, recalls the harrowing moments leading to his birth. "At 6 a.m., I was sleeping in my bed with my son Noah, eight months pregnant with Mohammad. I remember dreaming about a war, running from the sound of explosions. Then I woke up to a reality even worse," she said.

Amal described how the walls of her bedroom shook with the force of nearby bombings. In a state of fear and confusion, she began to bleed and could not reach her husband, who was trapped in the West Bank. The roads were congested with panicked people, making her three-hour journey to the hospital a nightmare.

Once admitted, she underwent an emergency C-section. "The bombing was mixed with my baby's first cry," she recalled. "That was supposed to be the happiest moment of my life, but it turned out to be the most terrifying." After a brief stay in the intensive care unit, both mother and child were discharged due to the overwhelming number of casualties from the ongoing conflict.

Since the onset of the conflict, Amal and her children have been displaced seven times. Their home has been destroyed, and her husband remains in the West Bank, leaving her to care for two children alone. During a particularly difficult period, Amal struggled to produce milk and find baby formula due to the blockade. She had to rely on another mother to breastfeed Mohammad. "That was heartbreaking for me, because I couldn't give him the least that he deserved as my baby," she said.

Mohammad is growing up in an environment filled with fear. Amal describes him as stubborn and antisocial, noting that he does not laugh or play with other children. "Since the day Mohammad was born, he knows nothing but the sounds of bombings, drones, and warplanes," she said. "I believe that the whole situation affected him so badly that he doesn't feel like a normal child."

Aid organizations report that children in Gaza are suffering immensely due to the ongoing conflict. According to Save the Children and UNICEF, over 20,000 children have been killed since the war began. James Elder, UNICEF's global spokesperson, stated, "Gaza's different because every single child here requires mental health support. Statistically, the sheer number of children as a percentage of the population that have been killed or wounded is huge."

Many children are living in tents and ruins, lacking food and safety. Nearly 40,000 children have lost one or both parents, according to Gazan authorities. The United Nations reports that Gaza has the highest rate of child amputees per capita in the world.

With children making up roughly half of the Palestinian population, they are particularly vulnerable to the war's impacts. Palestinian child psychologist Samah Jabr emphasized that children are affected not only by direct experiences of grief, loss, and displacement but also by the pervasive atmosphere of fear and trauma that surrounds them.

As the conflict continues, the long-term effects on children like Mohammad remain a pressing concern for humanitarian organizations and mental health professionals alike.