Standing in front of the mirror, holding a brush and pretending to comb her hair, eight-year-old Sama Tubail suddenly bursts into tears.
"I am so sorry because I don’t have a single strand of hair to comb with my brush," she sobs. "I hold the mirror in front of me because I want to comb my hair. I really want to comb my hair again."
But for Sama, this is just a memory. Before October 7, 2023, she had long hair and used to play with her friends in Jabalia, Gaza. But that life is now just a memory. Since then, her world has completely changed, reports The Business Standard, citing CNN.
Due to Israeli military operations, more than 1.9 million Palestinians were forced to flee their homes, including Sama and her family. They first sought refuge in Rafah, southern Gaza, and later, as the war intensified, they ended up in a refugee camp in Khan Younis, central Gaza.
Immediately after October 7, Israel launched a military operation in Gaza. Following months of a temporary ceasefire, violence resumed, and so far, more than 48,000 Palestinians have been killed, most of whom are women and children, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
A report published by Unicef in June said that nearly 1.2 million children in Gaza are currently in urgent need of psychological support, especially those who have faced multiple instances of extreme violence.
In January, the UN’s humanitarian aid chief, Tom Fletcher, told the Security Council, "An entire generation is going through severe psychological trauma."
He added, "Children have been killed, starved, and suffered extreme cold. Some have even died before birth—alongside their mothers during childbirth."
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Israel resumed airstrikes, breaking the ceasefire. Hundreds of Palestinians were killed, according to Gaza health officials.
‘Mom, why isn’t my hair growing?’
Last year, doctors attributed Sama’s hair loss to "nervous shock." The problem became evident particularly after an Israeli airstrike on her neighbor's house in Rafah in August 2023. Doctors have cited the extreme trauma and upheaval in her life since October 7 as a major cause of her alopecia (a condition that causes hair loss).
A report from the Gaza-based Community Training Centre for Crisis Management and War Child Alliance highlighted the severe mental stress children face due to Israeli attacks.
Interviews with more than 500 parents of children at risk revealed that 96% of children believe they could die at any moment, and nearly half—49%—have expressed "a wish to die" due to Israeli attacks.
For Sama, the psychological distress deepened as other children began mocking her for losing her hair. She became ashamed and confined herself indoors.
When CNN met Sama again in September 2024, she tearfully asked her mother, Om-Mohammed, "Mom, I’m tired, I want to die. Why isn’t my hair growing?" Then she asked if she would always remain bald.
"I want to die and go to Jannah (heaven) to get my hair back, Insha’Allah," Sama said.
With their home destroyed by Israeli bombings, Sama’s family stayed in Khan Younis, unable to afford the journey back.
When CNN visited them again in February 2025, Sama said, "Our house is destroyed. I had so many memories there—my pictures, my certificates, my clothes, so many things! But I still haven’t seen it."
"The cost of travel is too high. And even if we go, there’s no water there, and we don’t know where we would stay," she added.
The mental health crisis in Gaza
Mental health care in Gaza is challenging, and Gaza Community Mental Health Program (GCMHP), staff faced trauma during Israel’s assault, making treatment harder.
"Most of my staff are displaced; fewer than ten still have their homes," Abu Jama told CNN in an interview before the ceasefire in January. He leads Gaza’s largest mental health program.
He further explained that his team continues to support refugee families in the camps, trying to offer them a glimmer of hope.
GCMHP offers children a "drawing therapy" program, allowing them to express unspoken emotions through artwork. Abu Jama recalled an experience with a child who said, "My friend went to heaven, but we couldn’t find his head." The child broke down crying. "How did he go to heaven without his head?"
During the ceasefire, GCMHP launched a mental health plan, but Abu Jama warned of the tough challenges still ahead.
‘A drone came and killed them’
Seven-year-old Anas Abu Aish and his eight-year-old sister, Doaa, live with their grandmother, Om-Alabed, in a refugee camp in Al-Mawasi, Khan Younis. They lost their parents in an Israeli attack.
"I was playing with my ball. When I went down, I saw my parents lying on the ground. A drone came and exploded over them," Anas told CNN in November 2024.
Their grandmother, Om-Alabed, said the children have been in deep psychological distress since losing their parents. Anas often exhibits aggressive behavior, especially when he sees other children being embraced by their mothers.
"I keep asking everyone to try and understand. He hasn’t just lost his parents; he has lost his sense of safety, affection, and love," said Umm Alabed.
When CNN attempted to interview Doaa, she anxiously gripped her fingernails, trying to distract herself. Moments later, she broke into tears.
‘There was sand in my mouth, I was screaming’
Six-year-old Manal Jouda recalls the night her home was destroyed, her parents killed, and she lay trapped under rubble.
"There was sand in my mouth, I was screaming. They were digging with shovels. Our neighbor said—'It’s Manal, it’s Manal.' I was awake, my eyes were open under the rubble, my mouth was open, and sand was going inside," Manal recalled.
University of Pennsylvania professor Edna Foa said that children like Manal need special attention to prevent their brains from carrying this trauma into the future.
"They will never be the same as before the war, but they can recover in a way that allows them to lead a relatively normal life," Foa said.
But for children like Sama, stability remains out of reach, as every day is filled with uncertainty.
‘All my friends have hair, but I don’t’
Continuous rain and strong winds have worsened the conditions in Gaza’s refugee camps, further damaging the fragile tents. Sama and her family lost the little shelter they had.
Even with the ceasefire, Sama’s hair has not grown back. Whenever it starts to regrow, it falls out again within days.
"Every time my hair starts growing, I feel happy, but then it falls out again," Sama said.
Her mother, Om-Mohammed, said that Sama has become even more withdrawn due to her hair loss. She even feels ashamed in front of her sisters. She believes that her life will not be normal until her hair grows back.
"Before, Sama used to say, 'I want to go back north, I want my clothes, my memories back,'" her mother said.
"But now she says something different. Now she only says, 'Where will we go? We have no home anymore. All my friends have hair, but I don’t.'"