In the besieged region of Gaza Strip, children are facing devastating consequences from the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Schools, hospitals, homes and livelihoods have been destroyed, leaving the youngest and most vulnerable exposed and unprotected. Many children show signs of deep trauma, more than 80% report fear, nightmares or signs of post-traumatic stress.
Basic services have collapsed. Clean water is scarce, sewage systems are broken, and infectious diseases are spreading fast among young children who can’t access proper care.
Malnutrition is now critical: thousands of children under five are suffering from acute wasting because food supplies and medical resources are blocked or destroyed.
Meanwhile, educational opportunities have evaporated. Many schools have been damaged, converted into shelters, or simply closed down. As a result, hundreds of thousands of children are out of school and falling behind. These scars will not quickly heal.
The war not only threatens the physical survival of children in Gaza, but also their ability to grow, learn and hope for a future free from conflict. International aid organisations warn that unless urgent support reaches the children; food, medicine, safe places to learn, an entire generation could be lost.
The images of young faces in shelters, children scavenging for food, classrooms turned into rubble, remind us that war spares nobody but hits children in ways that ripple through their lives forever.
