You might already know that Israel is attacking Gaza, destroying buildings, and displacing people from one place to another. This much is clear, but do you truly understand the unimaginable pain amidst this chaos?

Imagine you are a parent, and you’ve been told to leave your home and relocate. In the middle of this turmoil, your children go missing in the chaos. Or perhaps you step out for something urgent, and suddenly, an airstrike occurs. When you return, your home is empty—your family is either missing or their fate is unknown. Or consider this: the Israeli army conducts a ground operation, taking your family members away, leaving you with no idea of where they are or what has happened to them.

This is the grim reality for countless families in Gaza today. There are thousands of families, children, and women are missing today in Gaza. Since the war began, approximately 45,000 people have lost their lives, which includes 14,500 children, and the number of wounded is beyond count. On top of this, an estimated 17,000 children are still missing, separated, or have been abducted.

The Chaotic Situation in Gaza

Since October 2023, when the war in Gaza began, the situation has become unbearably difficult for many families. War, forced displacement, hunger, and the lack of basic necessities have shattered lives. But what weighs heaviest on people’s hearts is the agony of missing loved ones. Every passing moment feels like a lifetime as families cling to hope, wondering if their missing children and relatives are alive—or if they have already become another statistic of this relentless conflict.

The large-scale displacements have led to countless children and family members going missing. When the Israeli army launched its ground operations, Gaza was divided into two parts—Northern Gaza and Southern Gaza. Residents of the north were ordered to leave their homes and move south, with promises that Northern Gaza would be “cleared.” 

Amid this chaos, entire families fled in desperation. In the confusion, many children and loved ones became separated and lost. Some vanished while families scrambled for shelter during airstrikes; others were torn apart in the rush to escape. Many of these families have never been reunited.

When the airstrikes finally ceased, hospitals began to fill with the wounded while rescue workers pulled bodies from the rubble. What they uncovered was devastating—injuries were so severe that the victims were impossible to identify. The bodies piled up in morgues, and families were left searching through the remains, unable to tell if their loved ones were among the dead or still missing. Closure, even in the form of grief, was denied to many.

Reports reveal even darker realities. Those who couldn’t escape Northern Gaza—trapped by circumstances or unable to flee—were reportedly executed by Israeli forces. Others were taken captive and abducted to secret locations, leaving their families with no answers, no updates, and no hope.

The Missing Children

The most heart-wrenching part of this missing turmoil is the disappearance of children. According to reports, 70% of the deaths in Gaza so far are children and women, and an estimated 17,000 children are still missing. 

This staggering figure isn’t coincidental—there’s a biological reason behind it. Children have half the resilience of adults, making them far more vulnerable. When trapped under rubble, caught in the chaos of airstrikes, or abandoned in the rush to flee, their fragile bodies and minds often cannot endure.

Another report states that the Israeli army has dropped 75,000 tons of explosives on Gaza, equivalent to six nuclear bombs. In such catastrophic conditions, it’s not difficult to imagine the fate of these missing children.

Their current plight likely falls into one of four devastating scenarios:

1. Mass Graves: Many of these children may have perished and been buried in mass graves. When dealing with mass casualties, it becomes almost impossible to identify bodies. Sometimes, only a small part of a child’s body—like a hand or a foot—may be found, leaving families with no answers about their loved ones.
2. Trapped Under Rubble: Aid workers in Gaza work tirelessly to clear rubble after every airstrike. All too often, they uncover the lifeless bodies of children still buried beneath the debris.
3. Detained or Abducted: Reports suggest that approximately 9,000+ people have been detained by the Israeli army, including many children. These children’s whereabouts and conditions are unknown. Those who are eventually released often bear severe injuries, broken bones, or unimaginable trauma.
4. Alive but Unreachable: Some children may still be alive but unable to reunite with their families. They could be too young to know their parents’ names or so deeply traumatized that they cannot speak or move.

For parents, the thought of their missing children enduring any of these fates is unbearable. The question looms over their hearts day and night: What has happened to my child? In Gaza, there are no answers—only pain, silence, and the haunting emptiness of loss.

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.

If you want to see the true face of human cruelty, look at Gaza today. For over 410 days, the people of Gaza have endured unimaginable suffering, but the world continues to turn a blind eye. 

No country has truly risen to stop this genocide or to stand against Israel’s actions with determination. The world watches the horrors unfold, says a few words of sympathy, and then moves on. Only Iran has stepped forward to confront Israel, but even its anger has added to the devastation raining down on Gaza’s innocent people.

What’s happening in Gaza is beyond heartbreaking—it’s pure inhumanity. The Israeli forces are subjecting an entire population to a slow and painful death. People are being killed in ways too cruel even to imagine. 

First, they’re attacked without mercy, defenseless and vulnerable. Then, the few who survive—injured and barely holding on—are denied medical help left to die in unbearable pain. It’s not just death; it’s a calculated attempt to erase hope and humanity itself.

The scenes from Gaza pierce the heart. Homes turned to rubble, families wiped out, and children left staring at the ruins of their lives. Every moment is a silent cry to the world: How long will you let this happen? How much more must we suffer before someone stands up to stop it?

When Cruelty Knows No Bounds

No one could have imagined that humans could inflict such unspeakable torment on other humans. Yet, the Israeli army has shattered every limit of cruelty. In Gaza, even places of refuge for civilians—homes, schools, and hospitals—are turned to ash without warning. Airstrikes rain down without hesitation, indiscriminately claiming lives. For those who survive, the horrors are far from over.

The survivors, often gravely injured, are left to suffer unimaginable pain. The Israeli forces block all access to medical help, refusing to let volunteers, ambulances, or even family members reach the wounded. Desperation fills the air as injured men, women, and children cry out for help that will never come. Even when survivors try to reach hospitals on their own, they are shot or locked in rooms to succumb to their wounds slowly. It’s as if every action is carefully designed to make the people of Gaza die in agony.

The streets of Gaza bear silent witness to this horror. Bodies lie abandoned, as loved ones are too terrified to retrieve them. Stray dogs feed on the remains, a sight so horrifying it pierces the soul. Families, once whole, are now scattered fragments of memory. Parents die shielding their children, and children die calling for mothers and fathers who will never answer.

Humanitarian volunteers who risk their lives to deliver aid are met with bullets instead of gratitude. Even those attempting to recover the dead are not spared—targeted and killed as if mercy itself is forbidden in Gaza. The message is clear: there is no safety, escape, or hope.

Imagine the agony of a child trapped under rubble, crying out for help that never comes. Imagine a mother cradling her dying baby because no medicine, no doctor, and no kindness is allowed to reach them. Imagine fathers burying their families with trembling hands, only to be killed while digging their graves. The people of Gaza are not just dying; they are being made to suffer in ways that defy all humanity.

And the world? The world watches in silence. The cries of Gaza echo unanswered while the cruelty continues to unfold. How much longer will this nightmare persist? How much more suffering must the people of Gaza endure before the world finally says, Enough?

What is the Hope for Gaza?

For the people of Gaza, hope has become a distant memory—something they can no longer afford to believe in. There is no hope from their leaders, no hope from other nations, and no hope from any path they could take on their own. The lifelines that once connected Gaza to the outside world have been severed. The U.S. has frozen nearly 90% of the aid it had pledged. Borders are locked, ensuring no relief can find its way in. Even if aid somehow manages to enter, the destruction is so complete that it rarely reaches those who need it most.

Inside Gaza, hospitals are on the verge of collapse. There are no medicines, no vaccines, no blood supplies, no oxygen tanks, and not even electricity to power the bare minimum of care. Since the war began, no fuel—no petrol or diesel—has entered Gaza. Doctors work with their bare hands, trying to save lives in conditions that can only be described as medieval. Patients lie helplessly in hallways, knowing that death is not just likely—it is inevitable.

Homes that miraculously survived the airstrikes are now being demolished by bulldozers. Families who have lost everything are being forced onto the streets, stripped of the last shreds of their dignity. Civilians are humiliated, made to walk barefoot and half-clothed on roads filled with debris. Those who dare to help, the ones who risk their lives to provide food or shelter, are hunted down and killed.

And yet, the world watches. The silence of nations is deafening, their apathy a cruel reminder that Gaza’s cries for help fall on unhearing ears. How can the people of Gaza have any hope left when the world itself has abandoned them?

Perhaps, one day, humanity will wake up. Perhaps, one day, a leader or a nation will rise to say, Enough is enough. But perhaps, by then, it will already be too late. Possibly, Gaza’s hope has already been extinguished.