Shama Tubaili looked at herself in the mirror and started to cry as she brushed her hair. “I don’t have a single strand of hair left to brush,” Shama told CNN, placing her hand on her head. “I’m so upset. I’m holding the mirror. Because I want to brush my hair. I really want to brush my hair again.”

The brush on her head brought back memories for the eight-year-old from October 7, 2023. She lived with her family in Jabalia, northern Gaza. Back then, she had long hair. She used to go out and play with friends. But since October 7, Shama and her family have joined the ranks of nearly 1.9 million people who have been forced to leave their homes at one time or another. Dr. Yasser Abu Jamei, director of the Gaza Community Mental Health Program.

The Shamar family left Jabalia for the first time, moving south to Rafah, under orders from the Israeli army. As the violence escalated, they fled again, taking refuge in a refugee camp in Khan Younis in central Gaza.

Shamar’s mental anguish intensified as other children teased him about his hair loss. As a result, he rarely left the house. When he did, he wore a pink bandana. When CNN met Shamar’s family in September 2024, he pleaded with his mother, Om-Mohammed, “Mom, I’m tired, I want to die. Why isn’t my hair growing?” She then asked if he would be bald forever. “I want to die and go to heaven and grow my hair,” Shamar added.