Parenting in the Ruins: Hunger,Helplessness,and the Destruction of Family Structures in Gaza

Abstract

This qualitative study examines the impact of the ongoing siege and blockade on parenting, family structures, and childhood in the Gaza Strip. Based on in-depth interviews with thirty displaced Palestinian mothers and fathers aged 23–58, living in shelters in Rafah and Jabalia, the research reveals the psychosocial effects of engineered starvation, systemic helplessness, and the breakdown of healthcare services. Findings show how traditional parental roles are disrupted, with fathers experiencing “thwarted masculinities” due to their inability to provide and protect, while mothers face guilt and despair amid the weaponization of motherhood. Children's suffering appears as direct evidence of structural violence, where hunger affects not only physical survival but emotional and developmental continuity. The study highlights the fragmentation of family bonds, the destruction of childhood, and the effects of global neglect. It calls for urgent recognition of siege policies as genocidal mechanisms that undermine Palestinian social fabric and demands a shift in humanitarian and political responses.