It is safe to say that Palestinian children are deprived a "quite day". They are not enjoying the most basic rights guaranteed to many children around the world. Palestinian families began to recover from the effects of the first Intifada(1987-1993), only to face a large wave of violence and trauma that surmounted those of the first Intifada in nature and magnitude. In these difficult circumstances, fathers and mothers stand shocked by the types of violence that their children are exposed to. They are anxious and at a loss to find the suitable ways of caring for their children.

In August 2002, I was on visit to Cairo and was walking along the Nile with my daughter. Suddenly, a helicopter appeared in the sky. My daughter said, "Father, let us hide. This is the airplane that bombarded" I tried to calm her and explain to her that we were in Cairo and not Gaza. But she wasn't convinced and eyed the helicopter for minutes.

My daughter's fears correlate with the findings of a GCMHP team visit to a school in Gaza. In a free drawing session, the team asked 100 children, aged 11-13, to draw anything that comes to mind. Eighty-five percent (85%) made drawing of land, aerial, and sea bombardment as well as ambulances, injured people, and martyrs. One month later, the same session was held and 100% of the children drew pictures of bombardment, ambulances, and martyrs.

In a recent GCMHP study, we found that 1.7% of Palestinian children only did not develop any symptoms of PTSD, 9.3% developed light symptoms, 33.9% developed medium symptoms, and 55.1% developed of PTSD. This is an alarming indicator that childhood in Palestine is in danger that threatens the future of Palestine children

Despite all of this, children's drawing also showed children raising Palestinian flag in front of tanks and depicted Al-Aqsa tied with chains. This indicated that it is possible to cope with the trauma despite the fear and anxiety.

Trauma has special characteristics in the Palestinian context. Palestinian children show unbelievable energy and ability that science cannot explain. These children see that the trauma and violence are a challenge to polish their personalities and develop their coping skills. And it is a well that children have a lot of energy and flexibility. In addition, their imagination is a plus. We find that children exposed to trauma are intent in their play or drawing about war and suffering. In this way, they express themselves, sometimes as victims and other times as victorious.

In difficult circumstances with which children try to cope, parents are at a loss find a way to help their children. They are in pain and feel guilty and helpless. As a result, parents find themselves in a struggle. They don't want to look weak in front of their children; and therefore avoid sharing their children their concerns. They show indifference thinking that time will remedy the trauma.

As professionals, we understand how difficult it is to be a parent in the Palestine environment. Parenting means giving. Love, affection, providing security, and keeping danger at bay in order to secure a normal upbringing. In all the research that GCMHP conducted, we've found that Palestinian parents have not stopped trying to do this for their children. Our research refutes the claim that Palestinian parents push their children to war. The feelings of love are core emotions in Palestinian parents.

Palestinian children face a difficult reality as the current Intifada enters its third year. And the family remains the main entity that needs to be supported in order to reduce the anxiety among children in order them to live their lives.