What growing up in war does to a child's brain - and their future

Fergal Keane has met thousands of traumatised children while reporting on conflicts. Here, he researches the long-term effect on them - and what, if anything, can help.

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The first thing was that Abdelrahman's dad was killed. The family home was struck by an Israeli air strike. The boy's mum, Asma al-Nashash, 29, remembers that "they brought him out in pieces".

Then on 16 July 2024 an air strike hit the school in Nuseirat, central Gaza. Eleven-year-old Abdelrahman was seriously wounded. Doctors had to amputate his leg.

His mental state began to deteriorate. "He started pulling his hair and hitting himself hard," Asma recalls. "He became like someone who has depression, seeing his friends playing and running around… and he's sitting alone."

When I meet Abdelrahman at a hospital in Jordan in May 2025, he is withdrawn and wary. Dozens of children have been evacuated to the Kingdom from Gaza for medical treatment.