Those children who have made it and survived are now struggling to cope with daily hardships having lost one or both parents or siblings.
Millions of children in the Gaza Strip face the horrors of war every day. Some were born during the war, some were injured and some died. The BBC publishes some tragic stories from these children who describe the horrible events they have experienced.
Born amid the horrors of war in Gaza, the one-month-old baby girl lying in an incubator has never known a parent’s arms. She was born by caesarean section after her mother, Hana, was killed in an Israeli airstrike. Hannah did not live to name her daughter.
“We just call her the daughter of Hana Abu Amsa,” says nurse Warda al-Awda, who is caring for the tiny newborn at al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.
Amidst the chaos caused by the ongoing fighting and with entire families nearly killed, doctors and rescue workers often struggle to find someone to care for these children left behind.
“We have lost contact with her family”, the nurse tells us. “None of her relatives have come forward and we don’t know what happened to her father.”
Children, who make up almost half of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, have seen everything around them fall apart because of the war.
Although Israel says it is trying to avoid civilian casualties more than 11,500 minors have been killed according to Palestinian health officials. Even more have been badly injured.
Accurate figures are difficult to obtainbut according to a recent report by the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Watch, a non-profit group, more than 24,000 children have also lost one or both parents.
Ibrahim Abu Mus, just 10 years old, suffered serious injuries to his leg and stomach when a rocket hit his house. But his tears are for his dead mother, grandfather and sister.
“They kept telling me they were being treated upstairs in the hospital”Ibrahim says as his father shakes his hand.
Little Ibrahim
“But I learned the truth when I saw pictures on my dad’s phone. I cried so much it hurt.”
The cousins ​​of the Hussein family used to play together, but now sit next to the sandy graves where some of their relatives are buried in a school-turned-shelter in central Gaza. Everyone has lost one or both parents.
“The missile landed on my mom’s lap and her body was torn into pieces. For days we were taking her body parts from the ruins of the house” says Abed Hussein, who lived in the al-Bureij refugee camp.
Abed Hussain
“When they said my brother, my uncle and my whole family were killed, I felt like my heart was bleeding with fire.”
Sleepless-eyed and tired, Abed lies awake at night frightened by the sounds of Israeli shelling and feeling alone.
“When my mom and dad were alive, I used to sleep, but after they were killed, I can’t sleep anymore. I was sleeping next to my dad”he explains.
Abed and his two surviving brothers are now cared for by their grandmother, but everyday life is very difficult.
“There is no food or water”, says. “My stomach hurts from drinking sea water.”
Kinza Hussain’s father was killed while trying to find and bring flour to make bread. She is haunted by the image of the corpse. “He had no eyes and his tongue was cut off,” she recalls.
“All we want is for the war to end”says. “Everything is sad.”
Little Kinza
Almost everyone in Gaza now relies on handouts to help with the basics. But the UN children’s agency, Unicef ​​says its biggest concern is about 19,000 children who are orphaned or left alone with no adult to care for them.
“Many of these children have been found under the rubble or have lost their parents in the bombing of their home”, says Jonathan Crick, head of communications for Unicef ​​Palestine, from Rafah in southern Gaza. Others have been found at Israeli checkpoints, hospitals and on the streets.
“The younger ones very often can’t say their name and even the older ones are usually in shockso it can be extremely difficult to identify them and possibly reunite them with their extended family.”
Even when relatives can be found, they are not always able to help care for children who are grieving their parents or siblings.
Unicef ​​believes that almost all children in Gaza are now in need of emotional support. With their lives destroyed, even when there is a lasting ceasefire, many will be left with terrible losses that they will struggle to overcome.
Source :Skai
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
