'His heart could not bear it': Five-year-old Gazan boy dies from panic attack during Israeli bombardment

A Gazan boy died of a severe panic attack while Israel was bombarding his home city, according to the Palestinian health ministry. 

Tamim Dawood, 5, was undergoing treatment for a heart condition and had been responding positively to medical care before Israel launched its assault on the besidged Gaza Strip on Tuesday.

As bombs fell on Gaza, the sounds of the explosions triggered a severe panic attack in Dawood and he was immediately rushed to a hospital. 

"Tamim stayed in intensive care but was unresponsive. The doctors told us he died at dawn on Wednesday because his heart could not bear the fear," his mother told local media. 

الطفل تميم داوود 5 سنوات، مات خوفا من قصف الاحتلال العنيف لقطاع غزة. pic.twitter.com/v4wVEznNs1

— شجاعية (@shejae3a) May 10, 2023

Gaza's health service has been gutted by years of Israeli blockade, and children bear witness to the physical and mental effects of occupation and attacks - both during times of conflict and in periods of relative calm. 

The Hamas-run health ministry announced in October that more than half of the residents of the Gaza Strip suffer from psychological disorders as a result of the blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt for more than a decade. 

Speaking to The New Arab, Jamil Suleiman Ali, the director general of mental health in the ministry said that "for more than 15 years, the residents suffer deteriorating living and economic conditions from the illegal Israeli violence against the Strip". 

According to the official, between 50-60% of the residents of Gaza were subjected to Israeli violence which impacted their mental health. 

Gaza does not have sufficient specialised centres to treat young people suffering from mental health issues. 

"The injury is not limited to the body, but there are psychological injuries that have a negative impact that could be worse than the physical wound," he said. 

Since 2007, Israel has been imposing a tightened blockade on the coastal enclave, home to more than 2.3 million people.