Ahmed is a seven years-old boy. His mother brought him to the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme. Fear and anxiety were apparent in the child's face as he was clinging to his mother during the time of the whole session.
His mother said that her child suffers from many symptoms for over a year now. He feels scared and can not go outside the home without his mother's company. He started to have nightmares and waking up from sleep, shouting and waking up his brothers and sisters, too.
Ahmed started to wet his bed at night again after four years of being discontinued. At home, he sits alone and cries, especially when he knows his family are sad. The mother said that the family (the father, the mother, the three daughters and four sons) were all suffering from a shock that happened to all of them, which is; an armed clashes that took place close to their house. Two Palestinians were killed in front of their house! An hour later, a huge bulldozer came and started to demolish the whole building they live in, with the family still being inside. They started to scream and shouted for help, but there was no help. They had to run away as the walls of the house were breaking down. They run away without taking anything of their personal belongingness. They lost everything, their belongings, their personal documents, their furniture, their money, even the children's books and the school bags. The only things they kept were the clothes they were wearing.
Although the mother only brought the young child for treatment, she feels that in fact all of the family needs help for the trauma they had encountered.
Now, they all live in a small apartment and most of the time they feel frustrated and sad, especially when they, remember the beautiful home, its trees and garden, which has been crushed. Ahmed and his brothers used to playing outside all day with the neighbors, enjoying their time. But, now, they spend most of their time in the small apartment and don't dare to go out anymore, unless the mother is coming along with them.
Ahmed's case has been followed up by GCMHP staff through playing, drawing, and emotional and psychological debriefing. Also, many visits and debriefing sessions had been done together with his family. Now, there is a noticeable improvement on Ahmed's case and his family, but still, the shock effects are deep.