Maïssa Boudouh, décembre 2024
Due to Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip, the injured child, taken to Al-Shifa Hospital, couldn’t leave the side of their wounded mother lying on the hospital floor, on October 23, 2023. (Photo: Anadolu Agency) https://prc.org.uk/en/news/6073/with-no-medical-care-gaza-s-child-amputees-risk-seeing-their-limbs-rot
In the echo of bomb blasts and relentless military strikes, the children of Gaza are trapped in a nightmare with no end in sight. Their homes, schools, and hospitals are destroyed, and their right to protection and education is shattered. Forced to survive amidst bombings, starvation, and disease, these children are denied the chance to learn, grow, and be safe. The trauma they endure is not only physical but emotional, leaving them with scars that will last a lifetime and across generations to come.
This is the childhood of Gaza.
With homes bombed on average every 4 hours, tents and temporary shelters destroyed every 17 hours, and schools and hospitals hit every four days, Gaza has now become the deadliest place in the world for children. A vast graveyard where over 11,300 children have been killed by the IDF, with 30% of them under the age of five (not including those whose identities remain unknown). For those who survive, many are left buried under the rubble or are victims of brutal amputations, with an average of 10 children losing a leg or both every single day, according to Save the Children.
In addition to this, Israel's targeted starvation campaign, which constitutes a “war crime and an act of genocidal violence” as stated by Human Rights Watch and the UN Committee of Experts, has also claimed countless young lives. Among them were Fayez Ataya, barely six months old when he died on May 30, 2024; 13-year-old Abdulqader Al-Serhi, who passed away on June 1, 2024 at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah; and 9-year-old Ahmad Abu Reida, who died on June 3, 2024 in a tent sheltering his displaced family in Al-Mawasi, Khan Younis. These children, like many others, perished from malnutrition and the lack of access to medical care (Israel’s siege blocks around 83% of food aid, according to aid organisations).
The destruction of Gaza’s infrastructure such as water and sewage systems, electricity grids, and medical facilities, has intensified the suffering, leaving millions without access to even the most basic necessities. Combined with the ongoing bombardment and blockades on essential supplies like medicines and cleaning agents, this has led to widespread disease outbreaks. Epidemics of scabies, rashes, chickenpox, and even polio are spreading, further decimating the already fragile population. The horrors these children face are not just physical but are compounded by a growing public health crisis: one that has no end in sight as the hope of a ceasefire becomes an increasingly distant dream.
In addition to this unimaginable suffering, the right to education is being cruelly denied to Palestinian children. As of September 2024, 45,000 first graders have been unable to start the new school year due to the relentless violence and displacement, adding to the plight of 625,000 children who were already deprived of education the previous year. The disruption of schooling has severe consequences, hindering cognitive, social, and emotional development. Despite efforts by UNICEF to establish temporary learning spaces and provide emergency learning kits, the need far exceeds the resources available. Ensuring education for these children is crucial, not only to uphold their rights but to offer stability and hope in the ongoing situation.
However, the denial of education is just one aspect of the broader suffering faced by Palestinian children. Their right to protection is also disregarded. They are subjected to unimaginable acts of torture (a violation of international law) at the hands of the Israeli military, with no regard for their safety or dignity. According to the international organization Defense for Children International (DCI), Palestinian children are regularly subjected to physical abuse, including being used as human shields during military operations. On December 27, 2023, while the Israeli army detained eight children, three of them ( Abdullah H. and Abdulrahman H. respectively 13 and 11 years old, along with 12-year-old Karim) shared with DCI the horrifying details of the violence they suffered. Karim recounted being insulted, slapped in the face, and kicked in the stomach and waist. “I almost died from the beating,” he said. The children were then forced to walk in front of bulldozers and tanks to shield the soldiers from potential attacks. Abdurrahman described how soldiers released dogs to terrorize them, beat them on the head, and stripped them of their clothes. The children were held in Al-Yarmouk Stadium overnight, surrounded by soldiers, tanks, and dogs. “Anyone who asked for water or needed to use the bathroom was beaten with rifles,” Abdurrahman recalled.
This kind of abuse is not new. In 2002, the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT) had already raised alarms about the torture and ill-treatment Palestinian children faced in Israeli detention centers. They reported that children were often subjected to beatings, prolonged handcuffing and blindfolding, denial of food and medical care, and forced to sleep outside in harsh conditions. This systematic abuse, both physical and psychological, continues today, leaving deep scars on the children of Gaza, not just in the moment but for years to come.
Beyond the physical violence, the psychological toll on these children is equally catastrophic. The emotional damage they endure is unimaginable. Constantly dodging bombs and bullets, witnessing the death of family members, and fleeing through streets littered with debris and bodies has stripped them of any sense of safety or stability. Each day is a new struggle for survival, where the basic needs for food and shelter remain uncertain. The blockade imposed by Israel has rendered vital support services — including medical aid and resources — almost entirely inaccessible, further compounding the suffering of children already traumatized by the horrors surrounding them.
Adding to this immense psychological burden is the staggering number of children orphaned in Gaza, with estimates from the UN ranging between 17,000 and 18,000. The psychological impact of this conflict is catastrophic, with approximately 650,000 children suffering from PTSD. But the trauma goes even deeper. Palestinian children in Gaza are not just enduring isolated instances of violence, they are living through complex continuous trauma (shortened as CCT); prolonged, repeated exposure to multiple traumatic events from a very young age, with no end in sight. Unlike one-time traumatic incidents, CCT involves cumulative stressors that can overwhelm a child's ability to cope, leading to profound and lasting effects on their emotional, psychological, and social well-being.
These lines you’ve just read carry a profound weight, but they also spark a call for action. No child on earth should have to go through all this horror; and Palestinian children are no exception. They deserve, like everyone else, to live a decent childhood in dignified living conditions and a safe environment. They deserve to live in safety with their families, not to witness the devastating effects of violence. They deserve to wake up each day with hope, not with the sounds of bombs and screams filling their ears. They deserve to go to school, not just to survive but to thrive, to learn, to play, and to dream of a better future. They deserve to be children, free from the terror, the smell of death and the trauma that should never belong to anyone, especially not to the innocent. They, the Palestinian Children, deserve to live.
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