When three-year-old twin girls were kidnapped during the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023, their story drew international attention; not only because of the abduction itself, but because of the psychological cost of their forced separation. While both children were eventually reunited, their ordeal reflects a broader crisis affecting many children caught in modern conflicts. The findings were published in the International Journal on Child Maltreatment.
The emotional damage of wartime trauma is well documented, but the case of these identical twins reveals a unique psychological rupture. One twin was taken separately from her family and remained apart from her sister for ten days. During that time, both girls endured captivity under extreme stress, a situation known to leave long-lasting mental scars. Their mother only realised the other twin was nearby when she heard her daughter crying in an adjacent room.
Identical twins share one of the most profound social bonds in human experience. Research shows that even infants display distress when their co-twin is absent. This deep-rooted connection means that separation during a traumatic event can intensify feelings of fear, loneliness, and helplessness. For very young children, such experiences may alter emotional development in lasting ways.
Psychologists warn that children exposed to war, abduction, and loss are at greater risk of developing anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. What makes the case of twin separation particularly concerning is how it compounds those risks. Children in such situations often lack the words to express their fear or confusion. Instead, the trauma reveals itself through tantrums, disrupted sleep, and behavioural changes. The mother of the abducted twins reported a stark shift in their emotional state after the incident, marked by frequent outbursts and distress.
The effects of family separation are not confined to twins. Around 100 Israeli children remain cut off from one or both parents still held hostage in Gaza. In other regions affected by war, including Ukraine, Syria, and Nigeria, children suffer similar ruptures. Experts say these separations can lead to long-term difficulties in attachment, memory, and social functioning. Children may carry the psychological effects of these early traumas well into adulthood.
Some twins in the conflict did not survive. In one instance, 10-month-old twins were hidden by their parents during an attack, only to be discovered hours later after both parents had been killed. They survived physically unharmed, but the emotional toll of such a beginning will likely shape their development. Elsewhere, 23-year-old Palestinian twins are mourning the loss of their entire family. While they remain together, their grief speaks to the wider impact of war on the twin bond and sibling resilience.
The kidnapping and separation of children, especially twins, in warfare raises urgent ethical questions. International law recognises the use of civilian hostages as a war crime, yet the psychological harm inflicted on these youngest victims often remains under-addressed. Despite growing evidence, many global organisations have not publicly condemned such acts when children are involved.
The voices of affected families and children call for stronger international recognition of the trauma inflicted by separation. For twins, especially, this bond is not merely emotional. It is fundamental to their sense of self. When war tears that apart, the consequences are both immediate and enduring.