The Experiences of Arab-Palestinian Youth in Israel During the October 7 War: Loss of Security,Social Exclusion,and Long-Term Consequences

Abstract

This qualitative study explores how Arab-Palestinian emerging adults in Israel experienced the period during and after the October 7, 2023 war. Using Persistent Trauma Theory and the concept of emerging adulthood, trauma is understood as ongoing, relational, and socially embedded rather than a single event. Six Arabic-language focus groups (N = 30; ages 19–25) examined how wartime hostility, civic silencing, and institutional exclusion intersected with identity development, autonomy, and future planning. Findings reveal four dynamics: civic precarity and surveillance, gendered visibility and emotional self-regulation, somatic distress with restrained expression, and constrained future orientation. Family and peers provided support, though mainly as emotional containment rather than developmental growth. The study extends Persistent Trauma Theory by adding a developmental lens, showing how civic instability shapes emerging adulthood into conditional adulthood characterized by vigilance and delayed agency. Implications call for equitable higher-education and employment policies and culturally responsive, developmentally attuned mental-health services.