​The most recent Palestinian-Israeli conflict in July 2014 exacerbated the psychosocial vulnerabilities and risks already faced by the Gazan population.

In the past five years alone, more than 4000 Palestinians have died, and tens of thousands have been injured. The protracted conflict has triggered acute levels of psychosocial distress, especially among children and adolescents. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has repeatedly described the situation as a chronic emergency and a protracted human dignity crisis.

This qualitative study by ODI and local experts focuses on the Shajaia neighbourhood in Gaza City, an area with more than 120,000 residents that was particularly affected by the 2014 conflict, with many families being forcibly evicted from their houses and left with nowhere to go.

The report highlights gaps in knowledge about the general and mental health of adolescents in the Gaza Strip and documents the pyschosocial vulnerabilities to which girls, in particular, are affected severely.