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The scale of last weekend’s surprise attacks by Hamas militants on Israel has staggered Israel and the world.
Hundreds of Israelis have been killed, thousands injured and dozens still held hostage by Hamas, young children included. Israel’s ongoing retaliation has left hundreds of Palestinians dead, at least 90 children among them, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. And humanitarian groups are warning of a coming crisis if Israel follows through on its vow to cut off food, water, and electricity to Gaza, where nearly half of residents are under 18 years of age.
The news is alarming for anyone — and especially for children, who may be left grappling with questions about why other children are among those affected, and whether they are safe. Here’s some advice on how to get started with talking to kids about the conflict.
Be proactive about starting the conversation
Children of all ages deserve a conversation, said experts interviewed by NPR — even those without loved ones who live in Israel or Gaza.
Many children are likely to have heard something already, experts agreed, whether from peers at school, by picking up on news broadcasts or by overhearing adults’ conversations.
Often, parents choose to sit back, believing that their kids will start a conversation when they feel ready. That can be a mistake, said Waheeda Saif, a program coordinator at Riverside Trauma Center in Massachusetts. “We don’t want to wait for our kids to come to us,” she said.
Instead, Saif suggests using open-ended questions to start a conversation: “‘Have you heard what’s been going on in the world?’ ‘Have you heard anything about what’s going on in Israel and Palestine?’ And just see what they say, and take it from there,” she said.
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Palestinian children walk past debris in the courtyard of a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees following Israeli airstrikes targeting Gaza City on Monday. Mohammed Abed/AFP via Getty Images
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