Support Gaza's Children
The orphans of war, Julia’s tale
In the tapestry of sorrow, the story of Julia - a mere four years
old - emerges. Amidst the ruins of Deir-Al Balah, Julia survives,
orphaned by Israeli forces who claimed the lives of her parents. A
cruel cycle repeats for her family, as her father, Musab,
experienced a similar fate in 2004 when Israel killed his own
father.
Julia after her parents were killed by an Israeli airstrike Wessam
Nassar, Julia’s cousin, recounts the heartbreak, “Musab was
orphaned when Israel’s occupation forces killed his father in
2004… Now, Musab has also left this earth. He left behind his
beautiful daughter, Julia, who is 4 years old. He loves her, and
his heart is always with her.”
Julia, innocent and unaware, grapples with the void left by her
family’s absence. “My mom got bombed,” she innocently utters, yet
to comprehend the magnitude of her newfound orphanhood.
Yousef’s sunset, a final embrace
Yousef, a seven-year-old with dreams yet to blossom, falls victim
to the indiscriminate violence. His father, a shattered soul,
describes Yousef’s endearing nature, “Yousef, my son, he is 7
years old. He always asks me about my work schedule and as soon as
I return home, he comes to hug and kiss me.”
Yousef was the apple of his family's eye.
Yousef’s last wish, a plea for his family to embrace one another,
underscores the tragic finale of his innocent life. His father,
robbed of everything, laments, “I lost everything, but the biggest
loss was my son Yousef.”
In the hospital, his mother mutters to The New Arab, “Yousef is
white-skinned, handsome, and beautiful, with curly hair,” a eulogy
that echoes through the corridors as a testament to a life
extinguished too soon.
Mayar’s lost dreams
Mayar, once having aspirations of becoming a journalist, saw her
dreams tragically unrealized. Alongside her younger brother Belal,
both children of the journalist Nidal Hamida, they symbolize the
countless young lives in our occupied land whose aspirations are
shattered and stolen by the Israeli occupation before they can
fully blossom.
While Mayar, older by several years, and Belal may have engaged in
the typical joys and occasional squabbles that characterize
childhood, their home was a haven of shared laughter and familial
bonds. Mayar, distinguished at school for her kind-heartedness and
intellect, was often envisioned by many as following in her
father's journalistic footsteps.
Tragically, the ruthless Israeli occupation abruptly terminated
Mayar's dreams, as their home became a target of destruction,
taking her life and that of her sibling Belal, along with their
mother. The relentless brutality of the occupation silenced not
just individuals but extinguished the flicker of potential futures
for young souls like Mayar.
I want the war to end and go back to Gaza
Both of 13-year-old Aya's best friends were killed by Israeli air
strikes. “I went to their funeral. It made me very sad,” she said.
More than 4,000 children have been killed in Gaza by Israeli air
strikes.
Unicef’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa,
Adele Khodr, told The National a child has been killed in
the Gaza Strip every 15 minutes on average since the current war
broke out.
To many, they are faceless numbers on a long list of civilian
casualties, but these four children are a symbol of the people of
Gaza's resilience in the face of tragedy.
Layan al-Baz receives treatment
Thirteen-year-old amputee Layan al-Baz receives treatment at the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza on October 31, 2023. Layan was wounded a week earlier in an Israeli attack on Al-Qarara district of Khan Younis.
Indonesian Hospital
Palestinian women mourn their children killed by Israeli bombardment at the Indonesian Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip on November 18, 2023.
makeshift shelters
Internally displaced Palestinian children, who fled from the Israeli bombardment of the northern Gaza and are now living in makeshift shelters, light a fire to boil a kettle after rainstorms in Khan Younis on November 15, 2023.
Nuseirat refugee camp
A Palestinian man carries the body of a child after being unearthed from the rubble of a building in the Nuseirat refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip on October 31, 2023, amid relentless Israeli bombardment of the Palestinian enclave.
Evacuated kids
A Palestinian medic cares for premature babies at the Emirates Hospital after they were evacuated from the al-Shifa Hospital - the largest medical facility in Gaza that was attacked by Israel. All 31 premature babies at al-Shifa Hospital were evacuated on November 19 from the facility which the WHO at the time described as a "death zone". Israel has attacked hospitals and medical personnel paralysing the health situation.
Gaza to Egypt
Egyptian medics stand by with incubators to receive premature Palestinian babies evacuated from Gaza on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip on November 20, 2023. Twenty-nine premature babies were evacuated from war-torn Gaza to Egypt on November 20, as Israel launched a deadly attack on hospitals. Most hospitals are now dysfunctional in Gaza.
Evacuated from Hospital
Injured Palestinians evacuated from the Indonesian Hospital in the north of the Gaza Strip receive care at Nasser hospital in the Palestinian territory's southern city of Khan Younis.
Twin Palestinian baby girls
The grandmother of Salma and Alma al-Jadba, twin Palestinian baby girls who were born during the war, holds them in a tent where they shelter with their displaced family who fled their house due to Israeli attacks, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip December.
Attack on Nasirat Refugee Camp
An injured Palestinian girl is taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital for medical treatment following Israeli army attack on Nasirat Refugee Camp in Deir el-Balah, Gaza.
Twin Palestinian baby girls
A girl carries containers to fill with water at a camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
Palestinian children collect food
Palestinian children collect food at a donation point provided by a charity group in the southern city of Rafah.
đź’” Donate to Support Gaza's Children
Your donation can make a significant difference in the lives of children affected by the crisis in Gaza. Donate now via Bitcoin or Stripe to provide essential aid and support.
Donate Now