Over the years, the global community has repeatedly witnessed cases of extreme violence and breach of humanitarian law by Israel as it escalates its oppression against Palestinians. Israeli settlers, backed by the Israeli military, have forced many to flee their homes as they were being demolished, often in the dead of winter or the peak of summer. Since 2009, over 12,380 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced in the West Bank while demolitions have increased by an average 20% year after year since 2017.

The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Palestine is often discussed in the frame of international law, with decades of recorded human rights violations, however that limits the scope of the harm inflicted upon civilians. The mental health ramifications of living under occupation are poorly studied, but preliminary studies indicate long-lasting, damaging effects on mental wellbeing, especially for children. 

The report No Peace of Mind is a new study on the mental health for Palestinians living under Israeli occupation by Doctors of the World France (DoTW) and the Association of International Development Agencies. The report focuses on the experience of organizations providing Mental Health and Psychosocial support (MHPSS) services to Palestinians in 10 communities in the West Bank in the summer of 2021. The survey was given to 1 man, 1 woman and 1 child in the 10 communities selected. The results are startling, the stories shared by the participants are devastating, and the mental health implications are grave.