Samah Jabr

Inserted 2 months ago

“To understand the effect of weaponised starvation, it is essential to consider the broader social and psychological framework within which it occurs. Ignacio Martín-Baró, a prominent figure in liberation psychology, posited that trauma is produced socially. This means that trauma is not merely an individual experience but is embedded within and exacerbated by the social conditions and structures surrounding the individual. In Gaza, traumatogenic structures include the ongoing siege, the genocidal aggression, and the deliberate deprivation of essential resources such as food, water, and medicine. The trauma they result in is compounded by the collective memory of suffering during the Nakba (the mass ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in 1947-8) and the continuous displacement and systemic oppression of the occupation. In this environment, trauma is not just a personal experience but a collective, socially and politically ingrained reality.”

Aljazeera

Head of the Mental Health Unit within the Palestinian Ministry of Health