Viral clip of Gaza children staging funerals reflects psychological toll of war

GAZA: A video shared by a Palestinian content creator showing children in Gaza reenacting a funeral procession has gone viral, drawing attention to the psychological toll of prolonged conflict on young lives.

The footage shows a group of children carrying a doll on a makeshift stretcher, imitating burial rituals that have become a familiar sight in the besieged enclave. The scene reflects how deeply such experiences have entered everyday life for children in the territory.

In most parts of the world, children commonly engage in imaginative play such as “house” or “teacher”. In Gaza, however, similar observations have been made of children acting out scenes of loss, including what some describe as “bury the martyr”.

According to UNICEF, all children in Gaza are in need of mental health and psychosocial support following the ongoing conflict. The organisation has warned of severe and widespread trauma among young people.

Since October 2023, more than 72,000 Palestinians have been killed and around 172,000 injured, while approximately 90% of civilian infrastructure in Gaza has been destroyed.

Figures from Palestinian officials and United Nations estimates indicate that at least 21,289 children were reported killed in Gaza between 7 October 2023 and February 2026.

Although a ceasefire came into effect in October 2025, reports indicate that violations have continued, with more than 120 children killed since then.

Psychologists say that in conflict zones, children often process what they witness through play. In Gaza, this can involve wrapping dolls in cloth resembling burial shrouds, staging funerals, or pretending to be mourners or rescue workers.

Experts describe this behaviour as a form of trauma reenactment, where the mind repeats distressing experiences in an attempt to make sense of them. For children, who may not yet have the language to articulate such events, play becomes a primary way of processing overwhelming reality.

This is linked to a concept known as repetition compulsion, in which individuals revisit distressing events as a way to regain a sense of control. Trauma, psychologists note, is often rooted in a loss of control, and reenactment can be an attempt to make those experiences more manageable.

In such contexts, what may appear as play is, in effect, a coping mechanism — a way for children to process events that are otherwise difficult to comprehend.