'My back aches from the hard mattress in our cramped room. The sound of constant shelling haunts me.'
The ongoing conflict in Gaza has left children facing unimaginable challenges, with daily bombardments threatening their safety and wellbeing.
The children who supplied these diary entries are all members of the Palestinian Children’s Council in Gaza run by Christian Aid’s local partner, The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR).
Thousands of people have been killed and nearly 2 million displaced after the escalation of violence in Gaza on 7 October 2023. Donate now to help save lives.
The psychological toll on children in Gaza
Sixteen-year-old Hala Abu Saleem lives in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza strip. Her day begins in the early hours of the morning. For many children her age, it would be the time at which they’d be getting ready for school, but not for children in Gaza like Hala.
Over 90% of all schools in Gaza are being used as shelters for displaced people. More than half of schools used as shelters have been directly hit over the last 10 months. No longer able to attend school, Hala’s days are now occupied by chores and worry.
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I pack my bag, but not with schoolbooks. I pack a few clothes, ready for another expected displacement.
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I help my family draw water using a small pulley. It’s exhausting work. Once we finish hauling water, we move on to baking bread. I clean the house and try to pass the time by reading old books. But I can’t find the same joy in reading anymore. After three or four pages, anxiety and fear overwhelm me.
I help my family draw water using a small pulley. It’s exhausting work. Once we finish hauling water, we move on to baking bread. I clean the house and try to pass the time by reading old books. But I can’t find the same joy in reading anymore. After three or four pages, anxiety and fear overwhelm me.
Daily life amidst conflict
We welcome what’s left of our friends and neighbours into our home. The lively conversations we once had have turned into expressions of deep sorrow and tears. We keep asking, 'Where is she? Where is he?".
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For children in Gaza, joyful moments with friends have turned to sorrow as families mourn the missing and lost. Nightfall, instead of bringing rest, brings terror and fear of the unknown.
For Gaza’s children, peace feels out of reach, and many long for just one night of uninterrupted sleep—a brief escape from their life of conflict and uncertainty.
Night falls, but it’s no longer a source of peace. Instead, it’s terrifying. I just wish it would pass quickly so we could have one restful night’s sleep.
Your donation could help provide those who have been injured or displaced with food, shelter, sanitation and cash.
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The human cost of Gaza’s destruction
The scale of the destruction in Gaza is unimaginable. Nearly 2 million people in Gaza have been forced to flee their homes and over 70,000 homes have been destroyed. According to UN experts, rebuilding homes in Gaza will cost $40bn and could take 16 years to complete.
Following the destruction of her home,15-year-old Nada Mahdi Al-Loqa now lives with her family in a camp for displaced people in Rafah.
We lost our home, our memories, our dreams and our education. We live in a small tent where my sister and I share a single bed, a far cry from the colorful room where we each had our own space. I wake up to the sound of drones buzzing overhead, fearful that they might open fire. We pray for this nightmare to end, then try to go back to sleep.
Enduring hunger and water shortages
Severe food shortages are rife across the Gaza strip. 1.2 million people in Gaza face extreme hunger including nearly half a million people in famine-like conditions. Safe drinking water is also in short supply as many water facilities have been destroyed or damaged over the last 10 months. As Nada explains, this is the grim reality that family’s like hers are grappling with day in day out.
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The sun’s scorching heat and relentless flies make it impossible to sleep past dawn. I prepare a meagre breakfast of thyme, cheese, and tea. The food we receive is limited and often spoiled, a result of the blockade. The heat is unbearable. We escape to the beach and sit among others who have also fled their homes. Children line up to fetch water, their tiny hands struggling with heavy bottles. We eat dinner, pray, and attempt to sleep early, seeking some refuge from the noise of explosions and buzzing drones. Sleep is our only escape.
A call for global awarness
The United Nation’s children’s agency has dubbed Gaza the world’s most dangerous place to be a child.
Since the outbreak of the conflict, Christian Aid’s local partners in Gaza have provided medical care as well as food, water and blankets to people living in shelters after fleeing their homes to escape airstrikes. This support has been carried out despite the vast majority of our partner staff being displaced themselves.
Christian Aid also supports a health centre in Al Mawasi and a disability friendly shelter in central Gaza. In Khan Younis one partner opened up their community centres for displaced families until they were displaced themselves, while another partner has been documenting human rights abuses and possible war crimes. Christian Aid’s partners have also supported Palestinians sheltering in churches in Gaza as well as Israeli peace activists.
Thousands of people have been killed and nearly 2 million displaced after the escalation of violence in Gaza on 7 October 2023. Donate now to help save lives.
