In a recent episode of This Past Weekend, comedian Theo Von became emotional as Dr. Gabor Maté, a physician specializing in childhood trauma, explained the psychological toll on Palestinian children in Gaza both before and during the current war. Maté’s detailed description of the suffering deeply moved Von, leading him to remark, “It feels like a genocide is going on over there.”
Maté, known for his expertise in trauma and child development, was a guest on the show for a wide-ranging conversation. Midway through the interview, he explained how trauma can lead children to internalize shame, believing that they are responsible for the pain and alienation they experience. He pointed out that this tendency to self-blame is common among young children, who view the world through a self-centered lens.
“Children are narcissists, not in a pathological sense, but in the sense that they think everything is about them,” Maté explained. “If their parents are loving and connected, the child thinks, ‘I must be okay.’ But when children are surrounded by stress, trauma, or violence—like the children in Gaza with daily bombings—they conclude, ‘There must be something wrong with me.’”
Von, visibly affected, responded: “Imagine a kid over there in Gaza, seeing a bomb, and thinking, ‘I’m so horrible, I deserve this.’”
Maté referenced a 2003 study conducted in Gaza, which found that 95% of children exhibited symptoms of trauma. He described how many children in the study suffered from bedwetting, expressed aggression toward their parents, and experienced panic attacks. This study, Maté stressed, occurred long before the recent violence that began on October 7.
“Can you imagine what’s going to happen to that generation years from now?” Maté asked. “It breaks my heart every day. As a Jewish person, I know many of my fellow Jews may not agree with me, but I’m not alone in feeling this way. It especially breaks my heart.”
Tears welled up in Von’s eyes as he tried to grasp the depth of the suffering Maté described. “Yeah, when you put it that way… these kids just think, ‘I deserve to be killed.’ It’s heartbreaking.”
Maté then highlighted the extent of the devastation in Gaza, noting that over 19,000 children have been orphaned. “The hopelessness is compounded when they lose not just their parents, but their extended families too,” he added.
Von, still processing the information, said: “It feels like a genocide is going on over there, and you don’t know what to do. You can pray, you can speak up, but… it’s heartbreaking. We’ve had people on here before to talk about Israel and Palestine, and it was eye-opening for a lot of listeners because you hear about it, but you don’t know the history.”
Von also reflected on the universal tragedy of children being harmed. “It’s heartbreaking anytime something happens to a child. That should be the one thing we can all agree on—this shouldn’t happen.”
Maté agreed, adding, “It’s also happening to children in Israel. There are bombs and rockets there too. It’s not about comparing traumas, but the scale of suffering in Gaza is unprecedented.”
The conversation highlighted the long-term consequences of war and trauma, particularly for children who may carry the scars for years to come. Both Maté and Von emphasized the need for understanding and empathy, as well as a deeper exploration of the complex history and political dynamics of the region.
Watch the interview below on YouTube:
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It’s interesting to read this article and realize you don’t speak anything of the trauma that the Jewish children grow up with knowing that all that Hamas, the Palestinians and others want is the death of the Jewish people. That is a real evil! There is real harm to the Jewish children as well.