Yosef (10) first says that he does not fear the Israeli soldiers. – We are not afraid of them, we are used to them. The twins Ahmet and Yasmin, aged 8, also say so. They laugh shyly. This is the way Palestinians react when we ask if they are afraid of the Israeli forces who regularly carry out operations in Jenin. A little later, the facade cracks. Unknown psychologist In the Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank, news meets the Norwegian child psychologist Katrin Glatz Brubakk. She is here on assignment for Doctors Without Borders. Her job is to help local colleagues so they can talk well with the children in Jenin. But she faces a problem: – Many people don’t even know what a psychologist is, says Brubakk. DON’T WANT TO TALK: Child psychologist Katrin Glatz Brubakk is in Jenin for Doctors Without Borders. But many here do not want to talk to psychologists. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news Since the Hamas attack against Israel on 7 October last year, in which around 1,140 people were killed, the Israeli army (IDF) has repeatedly entered the refugee camp in Jenin to search for militant Palestinians. According to the IDF, they have encountered armed resistance, arrested and killed terrorists and found military equipment, tunnels and weapons during these raids. Soldiers have entered private homes in the middle of the night. Israeli forces have also attacked Jenin with drones and fighter jets. The UN has previously criticized Israel for the way they carry out operations in, among other places, Jenin. According to the UN, around 360 Palestinians were killed and 4,300 wounded in Israeli attacks on the occupied West Bank between October 7 last year and mid-January this year. Most of them – over 40 – in Jenin. In the same period, five Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks in the West Bank, around 40 have been injured, UN figures show. Uncertainty What primarily characterizes people in Jenin is great uncertainty, says Katrin Glatz Brubakk. – Everyone knows that these regular raids are coming, but no one knows when or where. People go and prepare without knowing what they are preparing for. Many have experienced soldiers kicking in the door in the middle of the night and using their home as an interrogation room, according to the child psychologist. CONCERN: Ahmet, Yasmin and Yosef laugh a little when they say they are not afraid of the Israeli soldiers. But eventually they say that they are anxious about the soldiers entering their house. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news The day after a raid, children on their way to school can see that streets have been plowed up and destroyed. Sewage is flowing because the pipes are broken, says Brubakk. – Some children have also found body parts after night raids in places where they usually play. It’s hard to have a normal childhood here when everyone is so unsafe all the time. MSF will help the children process trauma and strengthen their psychological resilience. The aim is for them to be able to live better with the situation they and their families are in, explains Brubakk. DESTRUCTION: A girl plays in the remains of a destroyed house. No one knows when the next attacks will come. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news Reluctance and shame But in Arab societies, openness about mental health and seeing a psychologist is often associated with reluctance and shame. Sharing one’s innermost thoughts with a stranger to get help is an unknown phenomenon for many. – People feel it is taboo, i.e. unacceptable, to talk to a psychologist. People think they are seen as crazy if they seek such help, says Salwa Abu Ghali. news meets Ghali and her three aunts in the refugee camp in Jenin. HOPE: Salwa Abu Ghali from Jenin hopes the stigma and reluctance to talk to psychologists will pass with time. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news – In our society it is very difficult to talk about our innermost thoughts. We want to appear strong, not weak, she says. Child psychologist Brubakk notices this attitude well. – You don’t want to admit that you are struggling with something here. Can’t sleep When we talk more with the children Yosef, Ahmet and Yasmin in Jenin, they gradually tell us that they don’t have it so easy after all. Yosef is sleeping badly when he hears banging and commotion outside. – I can’t concentrate at school when I don’t get enough sleep, he says. SOLDIERS: Israeli soldiers in Jenin on 13 December 2023. The day before, the soldiers killed four people in the fight against militant Palestinians. Photo: AFP Ahmet says he does not think Israeli soldiers will do anything to him because he is a small child. But at the same time, he is afraid that they will destroy the door and enter his home. Sister Yasmin is worried that the soldiers will break into the house while the family is sleeping. It happened at her friend’s house, she says, and now Yasmin believes that the soldiers are going to break into every home. STRENGTH AND FEAR: People in Jenin want to show that they are strong, even though many are afraid deep down. This also applies to the children Ahmet, Yasmin and Yosef. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news Katrin Glatz Brubakk in Doctors Without Borders is worried about what children on the occupied West Bank tell her. – When they live in such unsafe conditions, they use their energy to be vigilant and make sure they have escape routes. The energy the children should have used to develop to be able to learn, remember and regulate impulses is weakened. These are injuries that will follow them for the rest of their lives, she says. Hope for change Salwa Abu Ghali hopes that change is on the way, and that rising generations will have a different view of mental health. – People in Jenin would rather become fighters than be patients of a psychologist. But with time, I hope more people realize that it helps them to talk to someone about their trauma, she says. – Everyone here should have a psychologist.
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– People here don’t know what a psychologist is – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
