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TEL AVIV: As Israel marks 1,000 days since the killings led by Hamas on October 7, children – many still dealing with the psychological effects of the war – are starting their summer holidays, some navigating the uncertainty of traveling abroad amid rising antisemitism and others struggling at home with the anxiety of living in a society built on nearly three years of war.
Lilach, 47, of Kibbutz Eilon, more than a mile and a half from Israel’s border with Lebanon in the Western Galilee, told Fox News Digital that she hopes her children — Yuval, Amit, and Yoni — will finally be able to enjoy a normal summer.
During the war, there was always anxiety about leaving home. “The children have not yet started school and spend most of their time at home in front of the screen,” she said.
“I hope now they can spend time with their friends and enjoy activities together. Tomorrow, Yoni will go to the amusement park. I just want them to have fun, be with their friends and enjoy being kids again,” he added.
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A woman reacts as the community of Kibbutz Kfar Aza remembers its members who were killed, kidnapped and died in captivity, following the deadly attack on Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terrorists, Kibbutz Kfar Aza, southern Israel, Oct. 16, 2025. (Hannah McKay/Reuters)
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, Lilach said, her children have only had one uninterrupted school year.
“It was difficult. They would start school, participate for a month or two, then the classes would stop because of the war with Iran or the fight with Lebanon, and then they would start again. It was difficult to return to the schedule each time. It felt like starting a new school year over and over again,” he said.
People are taking cover as Iran launches missiles and drones towards Israel following the US-Israeli attack. (Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Despite repeated setbacks, Lilach said her daughter Amit made it through high school because of determination and private tutoring. Yoni, however, who has attention deficit disorder, struggled to spend weeks at home during the fight and will move to a junior class next year for extra support.
Out with her family the day after the October 7 attack, Anat, 50, of Kibbutz Yiftah in the Upper Galilee, less than two miles from the Israeli-Lebanon border, told Fox News Digital that her children changed schools three times before the family returned home in February 2025. During Israel’s recent war with Iran, they were out of school again for about six weeks.
An Israeli school security officer watches as students enter the school (Eitan Elhadz/TPS)
“Every day, having my 10-year-old son log in to Zoom for online classes was a challenge. It was very difficult to keep a schedule and keep up with his studies,” said Anat.
As the family hopes to travel abroad this summer, Anat said she has tried to shelter her children from the wave of anti-Semitism that has emerged around the world in the past three years of war.
“We don’t talk at home about people around the world who hate us. We love everyone, and we don’t talk about hate, period. For them, traveling is a good thing they can wait for,” he said. “Despite how hard it was, our children are strong. They grew up fast because of everything they went through and they can deal with it. We don’t feel sorry for ourselves – we don’t fight.”
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Israeli school children on the march June 30, 2026. (Gideon Markowicz/TPS-IL)
Nufar Bar Lipshatz, a developmental psychologist in the northern region of Clalit Health Services, Israel’s largest healthcare provider, said many children continue to show signs of trauma.
According to data he cited from the Israel National Insurance Institute, 25,274 children were officially recognized as victims of hostile acts between October 7, 2023 and the end of 2025. He also referred to a joint study by the Goshen organization and the Israel Pediatric Association which shows that 84% of Israeli children showed signs of emotional stress and gaza23 after emotional stress. Hezbollah’s entry into the war from Lebanon the next day.
“We see many symptoms that are linked but manifest differently in each child, whether it’s a child who can’t talk, wets his pants, or is growing up.” [nervous] tics,” says Bar Lipshatz. “Trauma is real, and kids can’t always put it into words, so they act it out. They re-enacted running to shelters, their father being deployed, war, violence and kidnapping during the play.”
Demonstrators attend an anti-Israel demonstration in Leipzig, Germany Jan. 17, 2026. (Christian Mang/Reuters)
He remembers treating a girl who couldn’t ride a bicycle because she kept looking over her shoulder, checking to see if there was anyone behind her.
While summer vacation may provide temporary relief, Bar Lipshatz warned that a long break in the schedule could intensify anxiety.
“We know from research that children need stability and routine because it helps them feel safe. During recess, children can feel safe because they avoid situations that cause stress, but later they also avoid facing fear,” he said. “We must give parents and children tools to deal with stress because it will not end by staying at home.”
Bar Lipshatz, who also works with autistic children, said that walking itself can be challenging because unfamiliar sounds and crowded places can trigger painful memories.
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“When you go on vacation, you go to places with lots of people and noise. What we think is going to be fun can actually be dangerous,” he said, recalling a trip to Romania when sirens warning of bears in a national park sounded like Israeli missile warnings.
He noted that one of his young patients told him that he was afraid to go abroad because, despite the war, Israel felt more predictable than a foreign country.
In an effort to maintain a sense of routine and help students make up for lost time, Israel’s Ministry of Education told Fox News Digital that it will continue to work throughout the summer with programs to help about 1.12 million students, supported by about $270 million.
Soldiers carry Oster’s coffin during his funeral Wednesday in Tel Aviv. (AP/Maya Alleruzzo)
For the first time, middle school students will participate in summer programs focused on artificial intelligence, STEM subjects, math, science and English. The ministry said the highest levels of participation were in communities in the north and south affected by the war.
It also said it will continue to provide emotional support through its Counseling Service, expand psychological services for students in need, and keep its “Voice for All” support hotline active throughout the summer.
“The education system will continue to support Israeli students during the summer vacation to ensure academic, emotional and social continuity for all students who need it,” the department said.
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War-affected children also attend summer camps such as those run by OneFamily, an organization that supports victims of terrorism and war and their families.
More than 400 children – each of whom have lost a close family member to terrorism or war, most of them since the attack led by Hamas on October 7, 2023 – will participate in the annual OneFamily summer camp from July 8 to July 13 in the Golan Heights, where they will spend time with other children who share the same experience of grief and loss.
The main focus of the camp is to help children build resilience while learning to deal with their grief. This year, the organization’s founding director, Chantal Belzberg, received the Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement.
Israeli children at OneFamily summer camp, July 2025. (Meir Pavlovsky)
Activities include swimming, competitions, sports, but also therapy group discussions. On the final night, other campers share stories about their lost loved ones and their healing journeys, followed by a big concert.
“Children who have lost a parent, both parents or siblings due to terrorism or acts of war do not always want to go to therapy. But when you bring them together with other children who have experienced the same loss, it gives them strength and creates an environment for healing,” Belzberg told Fox News Digital.
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“They come to have fun, and through activities they meet other children who have gone through the same thing. That’s when they start talking. Traditional support services are not all places where children want to go,” she continued.
“We bring them together so they can meet children who really understand them. They realize they are not alone and can build a community where they don’t feel alone. One of the biggest challenges after trauma is isolation,” he added.
