The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) announced on Thursday that, according to a survey conducted in March, 56 percent of Palestinian children surveyed in Gaza Strip suffer from "traumatic nightmares."

NRC, an Oslo-based humanitarian organisation, said Gazan children are also "showing increasing signs of psychosocial deterioration as a result of the violent response to the Gaza protests."

"Principals from 20 schools interviewed by the NRC reported a rise in symptoms of post-traumatic stress in children, including fears, anxiety, stress and nightmares," the organisation said in a press release.

The violence children are witnessing in Gaza comes on top of an already worsening situation negatively impacting their mental well-being, including living under blockade for the last 11 years and three devastating wars that deprived many children of their close relatives and friends, Jan Egeland, NRC Secretary General, said.

“Now they are once again faced with the horrifying prospect of losing their loved ones, as they see more and more friends and relatives getting killed and injured.”

Last month, Palestinian protesters clashed with Israeli troops along the Gaza-Israel borders, which led to the death of roughly 40 Palestinians and injury of thousands.

The protests, calling for the right of return for Palestinian to the Israeli-occupied territories, erupted in response to the decision of US President Donald Trump to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognise the latter as the capital of Israel.

The Palestinians reject this decision, as they have long wanted Jerusalem to be the capital of their future state.