Children, who played such an important role in the uprising against Israeli military occupation, were unfortunately also often its most vulnerable victims. During the Intifada, our main task was to understand the impact of violence and traumatic experiences on children's psychological adjustment, child-parent relationship, and school performance. Equally important was also to find out the resilience factors that can help children to endure in extreme conditions of military occupation. Learning about these issues was vital for clinicians and other mental health professionals in planning rehabilitation for traumatized children.

For this purpose, a pool sample of 1,300 children was randomly selected to assess the level of exposure to traumatic events, such as night raids, imprisonment, being wounded and witnessing military violence. A smaller sample of these children was later examined for their mental health status, cognitive-intellectual capacity, and perceived parenting. The results have been incorporated in the local training of professionals (including teachers, mental health staff, and police), international congresses, and in four peer review publications.