Gaza: rethinking and decolonizing mental health responses in humanitarian emergencies

Authors

• Audrey Mc Mahon, International Institute of Geopsychiatry, Bern, Switzerland.
• Haneefa Merchant, Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.
• Salsabeel Alkhatib, MA Community Mental Health, Gaza Community Mental Health Program, Gaza City, Gaza Strip.
• Sabrah Khanyari, Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.
• Tara Alami, MSc Experimental Medicine, Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Montréal, Canada.
• Ebrahim Sader, Diplomate of The College of Psychiatrists (SA), Fellowship of The College of Psychiatrists (SA) (c), Mmed Psychiatry (c), International Institute of Geopsychiatry, Bern, Switzerland.
• Jude Nachabe, Clinical Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, Canada.
• Joseph El-Khoury, Department of Psychiatry, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, UAE.
• Samah Jabr, Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, George Washington University.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2-12-2026

Journal

International review of psychiatry (Abingdon, England)

DOI

10.1080/09540261.2026.2627503

Keywords

Armed conflict; decolonization; ethics; humanitarian aid; mental health

Abstract

Longstanding armed conflicts generate distinctive psychological wounds, transforming collective bonds and reconfiguring individuals' perceptions of identity, security, and trust, enduring. The occupied Palestinian territories exemplify this violence, as prolonged occupation has produced deep, systematic, and foreseeable psychological consequences. Standard humanitarian mental health models-largely rooted in Western diagnostic paradigms-often risk individualizing and depoliticizing suffering structurally and collectively produced. Drawing on liberation psychology, decolonial mental health, and human rights approaches, this article reframes Palestinian distress as a rational response to systemic violence, displacement, and precarity. It synthesizes existing research on the psychological consequences of recurrent large-scale violence while emphasizing culturally rooted protective factors such as family cohesion, community solidarity, and sumud. The paper critically examines humanitarian MHPSS systems which, despite their importance, may inadvertently reproduce epistemic and operational hierarchies and marginalize local knowledge. A central contribution is the articulation of practical strategies for decolonizing MHPSS, grounded in field-based collaboration. These include locally led program design, reciprocal training and supervision models, culturally anchored approaches, ethical positionality, and sustained support for Palestinian practitioners navigating dual roles as caregivers and affected civilians. It concludes with directions for sustainable, justice-oriented mental health systems, arguing that meaningful healing requires structural change rooted in solidarity-not solely clinical intervention.

APA Citation

Mc Mahon, Audrey; Merchant, Haneefa; Alkhatib, Salsabeel; Khanyari, Sabrah; Alami, Tara; Sader, Ebrahim; Nachabe, Jude; El-Khoury, Joseph; and Jabr, Samah, "Gaza: rethinking and decolonizing mental health responses in humanitarian emergencies" (2026). GW Authored Works. Paper 8720.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/8720

Department

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences