After 1,000 days of war: Many Israeli children carry trauma into summer break

TEL AVIV: As Israel marks 1,000 days since nan Hamas-led Oct. 7 massacre, children — galore still coping pinch nan psychological effects of nan warfare — are opening their summertime vacation, pinch immoderate navigating nan uncertainties of walking overseas amid rising antisemitism and others grappling astatine location pinch nan anxieties of surviving successful a nine shaped by astir 3 years of warfare connected aggregate fronts.

Lilach, 47, of Kibbutz Eilon, jut complete a mile and a half from Israel's separator pinch Lebanon successful nan Western Galilee, told Fox News Digital she hopes her children — Yuval, Amit, and Yoni — will yet beryllium capable to bask a normal summer.

During nan war, location was ever interest astir leaving home. The kids were hardly successful schoolhouse and spent astir of their clip indoors successful beforehand of screens," she said.

"I dream they tin now walk clip pinch their friends and bask activities together. Tomorrow, Yoni is going to an amusement park. I conscionable want them to person fun, beryllium pinch their friends and bask being kids again," she added.

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A female reacts arsenic nan organization of Kibbutz Kfar Aza commemorates their members who were killed, taken hostage and who died successful captivity, pursuing nan deadly Oct. 7, 2023 onslaught by Hamas terrorists, successful Kibbutz Kfar Aza, confederate Israel, Oct. 16, 2025. (Hannah McKay/Reuters)

Since nan COVID-19 pandemic began successful early 2020, Lilach said, her children person had only 1 uninterrupted twelvemonth of school.

"It was hard. They would commencement school, be for a period aliases two, past classes would extremity because of nan warfare pinch Iran or fighting pinch Lebanon, and past resume. It was difficult to get backmost into a regular each time. It felt for illustration starting a caller schoolhouse twelvemonth complete and complete again," she said.

People return shelter arsenic Iran launched missiles and drones towards Israel pursuing nan US-Israeli attacks. ( Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Despite nan repeated disruptions, Lilach said her girl Amit graduated from precocious schoolhouse acknowledgment to her determination and backstage tutoring. Yoni, however, who has attraction shortage disorder, struggled pinch spending weeks astatine location during nan fighting and will move to a smaller schoolroom adjacent twelvemonth to person further support.

Evacuated pinch her family a time aft nan Oct. 7 attacks, Anat, 50, of Kibbutz Yiftah successful nan Upper Galilee, little than 2 miles from Israel’s separator pinch Lebanon, told Fox News Digital that her children changed schools 3 times earlier nan family returned location successful February 2025. During Israel’s caller warfare pinch Iran, they were again retired of schoolhouse for astir six weeks.

An Israeli schoolhouse information serviceman watches connected arsenic students participate school  (Eitan Elhadz/TPS)

"Every day, having my 10-year-old log connected to Zoom for online classes was a challenge. It was very difficult to support a regular and continuity successful her learning," Anat said.

With nan family hoping to recreation overseas this summer, Anat said she has tried to shelter her children from nan tidal activity of antisemitism that has emerged globally complete nan past 3 years of war.

"We don’t talk astatine location astir group astir nan world who dislike us. We emotion everyone, and we don’t talk astir hate, period. For them, walking is thing awesome that they can’t hold for," she said. "Despite really difficult it has been, our children are strong. They person grown up quickly because of everything they’ve been done and cognize really to cope. We don’t consciousness sorry for ourselves—we’re fighters."

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Israeli schoolhouse kids connected an outing connected June 30, 2026. (Gideon Markowicz/TPS-IL)

Nufar Bar Lipshatz, a developmental scientist successful nan Northern District of Clalit Health Services, Israel’s largest healthcare provider, said galore children proceed to show signs of trauma.

According to information she cited from Israel’s National Insurance Institute, 25,274 children had been officially recognized arsenic victims of dispute acts betwixt Oct. 7, 2023 and nan extremity of 2025. She besides referenced a associated study by nan Goshen statement and nan Israeli Pediatric Association showing that 84% of Israeli children exhibited signs of affectional distress by precocious 2023 pursuing nan cross-border panic battle from Gaza and Hezbollah’s introduction into nan warfare from Lebanon nan pursuing day.

"We spot galore symptoms that are connected but manifest otherwise successful each child, whether it’s a kid who can’t speak, wets their pants, aliases develops [nervous] tics," Bar Lipshatz said. "Trauma is real, and children can’t ever definitive it pinch words, truthful they enactment it out. They reenact moving to shelters, their begetter being deployed, war, aggression and kidnappings during play."

Protesters be an anti-Israel objection successful Leipzig, Germany Jan. 17, 2026.  (Christian Mang/Reuters)

She recalled treating a woman who became incapable to thrust her bicycle because she perpetually looked complete her shoulder, checking whether personification was down her.

While summertime picnic whitethorn connection impermanent relief, Bar Lipshatz warned that agelong breaks from regular tin reenforce anxiety.

"We cognize from investigation that children request stableness and regular because it helps them consciousness safe. During schoolhouse breaks, children whitethorn consciousness safer because they are avoiding situations that trigger stress, but complete clip they are besides avoiding facing their fears," she said. "We request to springiness parents and children nan devices to header pinch accent because it will not vanish simply by staying astatine home."

Bar Lipshatz, who besides useful pinch autistic children, said recreation itself tin beryllium challenging because unfamiliar sounds and crowded environments whitethorn trigger traumatic memories.

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"When you spell connected vacation, you spell to places pinch tons of group and noise. What we deliberation could beryllium nosy tin really go a trigger," she said, recalling a travel to Romania wherever bear-warning sirens successful a nationalist parkland sounded identical to Israel's rocket alerts.

She noted that 1 of her young patients told her she feared walking overseas because, despite nan war, Israel felt much predictable than an unfamiliar country.

In a bid to support a consciousness of regular and thief students drawback up connected mislaid time, nan Israeli Ministry of Education told Fox News Digital that it will proceed operating passim nan summertime done programs serving astir 1.12 cardinal students, supported by an finance of astir $270 million.

Soldiers transportation Oster's coffin during his ceremonial connected Wednesday successful Tel Aviv.  (AP/Maya Alleruzzo)

For nan first time, mediate schoolhouse students will participate successful summertime programs focused connected artificial intelligence, STEM subjects, mathematics, science, and English. The ministry said nan highest information rates are successful bluish and confederate communities affected by nan war.

It besides said it will proceed providing affectional support done its Psychological Counseling Service, grow psychological services for students successful need, and support its "Voice for All" support hotline operating passim nan summer.

"The acquisition strategy will proceed to support Israeli students during nan summertime picnic to guarantee educational, affectional and societal continuity for each student who needs it," nan ministry said.

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Children affected by nan warfare are besides attending summertime camps specified arsenic those led by OneFamily, an statement that supports victims of coercion and warfare and their families.

More than 400 children — each of whom has mislaid an contiguous family personnel to coercion aliases war, astir since nan Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attacks — will return portion successful OneFamily's yearly summertime campy from July 8 to July 13 successful nan Golan Heights, wherever they will walk clip pinch different children who stock akin experiences of condolences and loss.

A cardinal attraction of nan campy is helping children build resilience while learning to header pinch their grief. This year, nan organization's founding director, Chantal Belzberg, received nan Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement.

Israeli children astatine nan OneFamily summertime camp, July 2025. (Meir Pavlovski)

Activities see swimming, competitions, sports, but besides therapeutic group speech circles. On nan past night, immoderate campers stock stories astir their mislaid loved ones and their ain travel to healing, followed by a large concert.

"Children who person mislaid a parent, some parents aliases siblings to coercion aliases acts of warfare don't ever want to spell to therapy. But erstwhile you bring them together pinch different children who person knowledgeable nan aforesaid loss, it gives them spot and creates a therapeutic environment," Belzberg told Fox News Digital.

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"They travel to person fun, and done nan activities they meet different children who person gone done nan aforesaid thing. That's erstwhile they statesman to talk. Traditional support services are not ever places wherever children want to go," she continued.

"We bring them together truthful they meet children who genuinely understand them. They recognize they are not unsocial and tin build a organization wherever they don't consciousness isolated. One of nan top challenges aft trauma is isolation," she added.