Under Constant Fear: The Impact of Escalating Middle East Crisis on West Bank Children
It starts as a barely perceptible sound — soon growing into a roar. After this, distant sirens begin to blast. 13-year-old Ghazal, who lives in the south of the West Bank, has learned to recognise these noises.
“The sound of rockets is what scares me the most. They pass right over our house,” she says. But the worst part is the wait — those next few seconds feel like hours, not knowing how close the explosion will be. Sometimes, it's close enough to shake everything in her home.
Children in the West Bank are not only hearing distant threats, they're facing them up-close. In dozens of villages, shrapnel and debris have been falling from the sky, forcing families to stay indoors around the clock. In just a matter of days, the military escalation in the Middle East has upended every aspect of their lives.
In most communities, schools have closed and shifted to virtual learning — lessons that children struggle to keep up with. Most checkpoints and barriers have been sealed off, cutting millions of people off from their livelihoods and from essential health services.
How Children's Services are Affected
According to Rania Aljawi, Child Protection Technical Lead for World Vision, “children are once again paying the price for political and military decisions beyond their control.” She warns that the latest escalation risks worsening an already catastrophic humanitarian situation. “Escalating conflict does not only interrupt schooling — it destabilises every aspect of a child’s life. It undermines their sense of safety, disrupts their routines, and threatens their long-term development.”
Shrinking access to education, healthcare, and essential services has left thousands of children without the support systems they depend on. “Every few hours, children hear warning alerts followed by powerful explosions that shake their homes,” Rania explains. “Most families have no access to safe shelters. Caregivers themselves are struggling to manage their own fear — even as they try to reassure their children.”
Many children in the West Bank have already endured years of instability and recurring cycles of violence. This new wave of escalation has plunged them back into uncertainty. The psychological toll is severe: anxiety, sleep disturbances, regression in behaviour, and emotional withdrawal are becoming increasingly common.
Staying Together to Feel Safe
Ghazal’s story embodies these quiet yet profound struggles. Before the escalation, she loved going to school, spending time with her teachers and friends, and joining her family on their weekly outings. Now, those routines have all but vanished.
“Since the crisis began, my school went back to online learning… but I really prefer going in person,” she says. “At home we argue more because we’re stuck inside all the time. It feels like we are just waiting and worrying.”
She describes how the crisis has reshaped her daily life: “My siblings and I now sleep in my parents’ room because we feel safer when we are all together.” What she misses most is something simple and universal: seeing her friends, talking freely, and feeling like a normal teenager. “I hope the crisis ends soon so life can go back to normal.”
Her mother, Shireen, has watched her children change in ways that deeply worry her. “They have become frightened of any sudden sound. Even small noises make them anxious — especially after a rocket landed near our house,” she says. The stress has taken a physical toll as well: “One of my sons has started wetting the bed again, after he had already stopped. I believe it’s a reaction to the fear and anxiety.”
Mental and Physical Strains
Emotionally, the children feel trapped. “They ask me all the time: ‘When will we be able to go out again?’ and ‘how long will schools stay closed?’” said Shireen. Their world has shrunk to the walls of their home. Social connections — especially meaningful during Ramadan — have nearly disappeared. “Visits and gatherings have almost stopped… mainly because of the restrictions and the checkpoint that controls access to our area.”
The family is also under economic strain. “My husband works as a driver within the village, but right now there is very little work because people rarely go out,” Shireen says. Movement restrictions mean no passengers, no work, and no income. Still, she does her best to hold the family together. “I try to reassure them and act normally,” she says, “but I know we are struggling. We need psychological support — to help us and the children cope with all of this.”
Across the West Bank, similar stories are unfolding. Families face simultaneous social, economic, and emotional pressures. Children carry worries that no child should ever have to bear.
World Vision is Stepping Up
World Vision and its partner organisations are working to support children and caregivers through child protection and mental health programmes. “Our facilitators are well trained to deliver mental health support,” Rania explains. Community-based protection groups remain active, monitoring emerging risks and ensuring that support reaches the most affected families whenever conditions allow.
The priorities are clear: provide emergency support to the most vulnerable families, restore a sense of safety, re-establish predictable routines, and help children reconnect —with their education, with their peers, and with the stability that every child deserves.
For now, children like Ghazal wait — held close by their families, yet living with daily uncertainty. Their stories are a reminder that behind the headlines are millions of young lives shaped by fear, resilience, and the enduring hope that one day their world will feel safe again.