“Promise we will rebuild it.”

This is what the children and youth of Gaza carve onto the walls of their destroyed schools, homes, and buildings. They cling to the hope that the war will end and a day of peace will come, allowing them to rebuild what was lost. Their hope remains unshaken, and rightly so—they will rise again.

But what has brought them to this devastating situation? What mental state has pushed them to think this way, especially the children? Imagine their condition, witnessing everything shattered before their eyes—their schools, their childhood, their friends, their families, and so much more.

 The current state of children in Gaza is so harrowing that even putting it into words feels overwhelming. Just type “Gaza children” into Google, and the results are heartbreaking, declaring that Gaza has turned into a graveyard for its children.

Stories emerge of two-year-olds, five-year-olds, and entire families lost, while some never even got the chance to be born. The situation is so dire that countless children are left homeless, hungry, and forced to survive on the sands by the sea, with no shelter and no relief in sight.

On top of that, as temperatures continue to drop, they don’t even have spare clothes to change into, let alone warm clothing. How can they possibly endure the freezing cold and the icy sea breeze without any protection? For the children of Gaza, the only thing they have to sleep on or cover themselves with is the cold, harsh sand.

Sand, Starvation, and Suffering

Currently, 95% of Gaza’s population is facing starvation—an almost unimaginable crisis not caused by any natural disaster but by human actions. First, airstrikes destroyed families in Gaza, reduced homes to rubble, and left people homeless, forcing them to sleep under open skies. Now, humanitarian aid is being blocked at borders, deliberately creating a state of famine.

The situation is so dire that when displaced, hungry Palestinians receive flour, they rush to grab it in desperation. Even the flour spilled on the ground during the chaos is picked up by children and carefully gathered into bags to take home.

Even when these displaced children manage to bring home some flour, many times the strong waves of the sea wash it away, as Gaza’s civilians, living on the bare ground, struggle to protect their meager food from the elements. The little flour they manage to salvage often becomes wet and unusable.

Each day is a relentless fight for survival. Children, driven by hunger, wander through the ruins, searching for anything edible.

They search through rubble, stand in long queues for aid that may never arrive, and walk for miles with empty stomachs, hoping to find scraps of food to keep themselves and their families alive. For them, survival has become a daily battle against hunger, despair, and an unyielding sense of loss.

Tonight, many of us will sleep on comfortable beds, wrapped in blankets, with our heads resting on pillows. But the innocent children of Gaza, who have no connection to this war and have committed no crime, are forced to sleep on the streets or unprotected sand.

You might think, “Many people sleep on the streets in other countries, too, don’t they?” But the situation here is different. In other places, even the poorest who sleep on the streets can access drinking water and food to survive.

If they fall sick, government hospitals provide them with medicine and treatment. If they contract a contagious disease, they can still receive care. But what is the reality in Gaza today? There’s no water, food, hospitals, ambulances, and doctors available to provide even basic treatment. This is the harsh truth they face every single day.

Gaza in Numbers

The Israeli army has destroyed over 700 water wells, leaving Gaza in a dire water crisis. Across the region, each person now has access to only 1.5 to 1.8 liters (51 to 61 ounces) of water per day—barely enough to survive. Meanwhile, over 1.7 million people have been infected with contagious diseases due to unsanitary living conditions and the lack of clean water.

The relentless attacks have not spared Gaza’s healthcare system. Continuous bombardments have destroyed over 600 hospitals, leaving the sick and injured with nowhere to turn. 

The situation is worsened by the devastating loss of medical personnel—at least 986 healthcare workers have been killed, including 165 doctors, 260 nurses, 184 health associates, 76 pharmacists, and 300 management and support staff.

Stats source

Thousands of children in Gaza are trapped in a state of mental shock and fear. They live with constant questions weighing on their young minds: Will I see tomorrow’s sunrise? Will there be food to eat tomorrow? Will I have to stand in long lines again just to get a small piece of bread? Can I even play today?

At an age when they should be playing and laughing, they are forced to witness destruction and endure unimaginable suffering. They don’t know how long this war will continue, what more horrors they’ll have to see, or how many more days they’ll have to sleep under clouds of smoke, on cold sand, and beneath the open sky. Even their innocent hearts carry the heavy burden of uncertainty and fear.

Until now, whatever we’ve heard, seen, or read about Gaza’s children, the reality on the ground is far worse than we could ever imagine. The situation for Gaza’s civilians, especially its children, is beyond heartbreaking. The Israeli army has created a reality so devastating that today, children are choosing death over life.

Yes, what you’ve read is true. 

A survey conducted among 500 children in Gaza revealed harrowing results: nearly 96% of them feel that death is near and that it’s only a matter of time before they lose their lives. Out of these, 49% openly expressed that they would rather embrace death than continue to endure the horrors of war, constant displacement, and unending famine.

These children are exhausted—worn down by a war they never asked for, by the loss of their homes and families, and by the unbearable hunger and fear that haunt their every moment. To them, death feels like a release, an escape from a life that offers only pain and suffering.

Israel Shows No Signs of Stopping

Recently, on December 13, 2024, an airstrike targeted a post office where people were taking shelter, killing 30 civilians and leaving over 50 seriously injured. The Israeli army continues its assaults as if the lives of Gaza’s civilians hold no value in this world.

The way people are being killed is so brutal that even animals wouldn’t be treated this way. The constant violence and fear of death have plunged the people of Gaza into a state of severe fear, aggression, withdrawal, and overwhelming hopelessness.

Reports further reveal that families with disabled, injured, or unaccompanied children are suffering the most. Such circumstances exist because the pain and suffering of the people of Gaza seem endless. One tragedy barely ends before another begins, yet another disaster strikes before that can settle.

According to a survey, 88% of Gaza’s population has been displaced multiple times, with 21% displaced six or more times. This relentless cycle of loss and upheaval has taken a severe toll on their mental health. Fear grips their minds, constant displacement and hunger torment them, and these hardships are having a devastating impact on innocent children and their families.

Many have reached their breaking point, worn down to the extent that they have lost the will to live, with countless children and adults alike longing for death as an escape from this unbearable reality.

The Women are suffering

The situation for women in Gaza, especially pregnant women, is even more dire than that of the children. Currently, there are 73,000 pregnant women in Gaza, and if you didn’t already know, over 63 multi-specialty hospitals have been destroyed. As for smaller clinics and basic healthcare facilities, their condition is beyond deplorable.

These women lack adequate nutrition, essential medicines, and even access to clean air. The fear and stress of war have worsened their conditions significantly. A critical question looms over Gaza: how will these women deliver their babies? And if they do, how will these newborns receive the care they need in a medical system that has been obliterated?

An estimated 155,000 pregnant women and new mothers are struggling to access even basic maternal and newborn healthcare. Preterm and complicated births have increased, and healthcare workers report that among the 130 women giving birth daily, healthy-weight babies are rarely seen anymore.

Even necessities like sanitary pads, essential medicines, and protein supplements are unavailable. Aid is blocked at the borders, over 600 water wells have been deliberately destroyed, and in the cruelest of ironies, people are now forced to loot for food to survive.

Economically, the devastation is staggering. Most families in Gaza survive on just £3.28 ($4.15) daily, with 80% of breadwinners unemployed. In a shocking revelation, 24% of families surveyed are headed by children as young as 16 or younger.

The women of Gaza, especially those carrying the next generation, are fighting not just for survival but for basic dignity in a world that seems to have turned its back on them.

What Next for Children and Women in Gaza?

The international community must act immediately before the catastrophic effects on Gaza’s children become irreversible. Surveys already indicate that the damage has been done. If immediate action is not taken, these children will struggle to grow mentally and emotionally. 

They will remain trapped in their painful memories, unable to heal, and this trauma will inevitably impact future generations, affecting their lives and even their health. In this way, entire generations risk being wiped out, not just physically but mentally and emotionally.

A ceasefire must be the first step to allow organizations like War Child and other humanitarian agencies to address the severe psychological damage Gaza’s children are enduring. 

The CTCCM and War Child Alliance have urged the international community to prioritize mental health interventions and provide urgent humanitarian assistance for the children of Gaza. They have emphasized that addressing the root causes of this crisis is critical to preventing further harm to future generations.

For women, the need for immediate humanitarian aid is equally dire. Without aid, not only will babies die, but their mothers will also succumb to the lack of proper medical care and essential supplies. The spread of disease will only worsen the situation, leaving Gaza in an even deeper humanitarian crisis.

A ceasefire is not just necessary—it is the only option left to save Gaza from complete annihilation. It is the bare minimum required to ensure its people’s survival and give them a chance to rebuild their lives and future.

On September 27, a ray of hope appeared—a chance that could save lives and bring some light to a world filled with darkness—a rare moment of relief in a region too familiar with pain. 

The news arrived—Israel and Lebanon, after 14 months of relentless conflict, had agreed to a ceasefire. Brokered by France and the USA, the agreement seemed like a delicate bridge toward peace.

For a moment, people in both nations dared to hope they might finally witness the dawn of peace and tranquillity in their lands.

But that hope was short-lived.

It was when Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the world, announcing the ceasefire and assuring the people of Israel and Lebanon that peace was within reach, the skies darkened with betrayal. Without warning, Israeli forces launched a devastating assault on Lebanon. 

It was calculated, deliberate, and merciless. They knew this would be their last chance—after the ceasefire took effect, there would be no more strikes, no more retaliation. And so, they unleashed everything they had, determined to inflict as much destruction as possible in those final moments.

The airstrikes were fierce, which took the lives of many and wounded hundreds. Lebanon bled once again, and its people were left to mourn, not just the dead but the cruel betrayal of a promise that had seemed so close. 

What was the agreement between the two?

On November 27, 2024, a historic ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was put into effect, a tentative step toward ending over 14 months of relentless conflict. This agreement, brokered by the United States and France, aimed to halt the violence and offer a glimmer of peace to a region battered by war.

Under this agreement, Hezbollah was required to withdraw its fighters north of the Litani River, around 40 kilometers from the Israel-Lebanon border. In turn, Israeli forces were to slowly move back to their area south of the Blue Line.

All this will be done under an international monitoring group led by the U.S., which was tasked with overseeing compliance and ensuring neither side violated the terms.

However, the ceasefire had a condition that later caused problems—Israel was allowed to use military force if Hezbollah broke the agreement or posed a direct threat. And that’s where Israel’s army took full advantage of this and continues to do so even today.

Since the ceasefire began, the Israeli army has broken it more than 2 dozen times, causing many deaths and injuries. In their most recent attack on December 2, they violated the ceasefire again, killing 11 innocent civilians.

How did Israel shatter it completely?

Just one day after the ceasefire took effect, Israel launched a sudden and devastating assault on Lebanon. The reason? An allegation that Hezbollah had violated the agreement. 

Israeli intelligence claimed to have observed suspicious activity—movement near the no-go zone, alleged violations of the ceasefire terms, and potential threats to their security. According to Israeli officials, these actions justified an immediate military response.

In response, Hezbollah commanders stated that even after the agreement, the Israeli army had stationed planes at a Lebanese airbase and was preparing to launch strikes from there.

They added that Israel is carrying out everything under the supervision of the UN and US monitoring groups, but Israel never faces any consequences. However, if Lebanon makes any mistake, they are attacked.

However, the Israeli strikes continue without stopping. The skies over Lebanon erupted with fire as Israeli jets carried out relentless airstrikes. Homes crumbled under the weight of bombs, schools were reduced to rubble, and hospitals—already overwhelmed by months of war.

Lebanon, Already on its Knees, Bled Once More

These attacks were not just a violation of the ceasefire—it was a message. Israel’s actions spoke louder than any diplomatic statement: We do not trust peace, and we will not hesitate to destroy it if we feel threatened. The ceasefire, which had promised relief from violence, became a harsh reminder of how delicate peace is in this region.

Even the UN peacekeepers, who symbolize international help and hope, found themselves helpless, unable to do anything. Their mission to maintain peace had turned into a desperate attempt to survive the chaos unleashed upon them. The volunteers who had come to monitor and protect were now witnesses to the destruction they had hoped to prevent.

The delegation from Palestine is now looking at the possibility of a meeting in Cairo, where Palestinian leaders and Hamas representatives might discuss a strategy for a ceasefire in Palestine. The meeting is set to take place in Cairo, and they hope to find a way to implement a truce in Palestine.

The world knows that such meetings have happened many times before and have failed, so now we wait to see what will come of this one and what the next steps will be. 

However, on the same day as the December 2 meeting, Israel carried out an airstrike on Gaza’s crowded market while people were just starting to gather for a meal. The airstrikes continued throughout the day, forcing many people to flee and displace them once again.