Gaza’s population has had it very hard by most accounts. Most of Gaza’s residents are not natives of Gaza, but were expelled and are refugees from the south of Israel. After a physical occupation by Israel for decades, they have now had their economy crippled, as well as humanitarian crises created by a cruel and illegal siege by Israel. As though this were not enough, they were then invaded and near carpet-bombed over Christmas and New Year of 2008 / 09, with over 1500 deaths and countless injuries and traumas caused.
This blog post was written just after this bombardment, in March of 2009.
At Hope and Play, we abhor the denial of human rights and especially acts of physical or psychological violence to children of all national, ethnic or religious origin. Our charity focuses its efforts on children in two areas, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Bangladesh. In one of those areas, Palestine, there is a humanitarian crisis caused by fighting earlier this year. The Israeli bombardment of Gaza which ramped up significantly in December 2008 and January 2009 comes after nearly 2 years of blockade by the Israeli and Egyptian governments. The blockade itself follows decades of occupation. Children form a very high percentage of the population of Gaza, and as a result they are suffering disproportionately.
Through the following media summaries and links, we highlight some of the effects that this sequence of events has had on children in Gaza. The primary focus is on the exacerbated humanitarian crisis caused by this latest fighting. This is not an exhaustive chronicle of this invasion, but rather a selection of articles which articulate the damage that this has done to Gaza’s children. We try not to pass judgement ourselves, but the facts speak for themselves. Several consistent themes emerge, including:
- child deaths, with over 400 to date (210 of them are named here);
- children traumatised because of the incessant bombardment and because of the horrific sights they are subjected to in terms of death, mutilation and dismemberment;
- child injuries, including as a direct or indirect result of bombardment and of the Israeli army’s use of phosphorous;
- displacement, as homes are destroyed;
- deaths of relatives, making many children orphans;
- unnecessary deaths due to lack of medication for sick children;
- destruction of the education infrastructure, including schools, colleges, universities and the ministry of education;
- creation of a sense of hopelessness as children see that their parents are unable to defend them, and that wherever and whatever they do, there is no escape from Israeli bombardment;
- increased infant mortality as mothers are unable to get to hospitals for delivery.
If we are to concern ourselves with the betterment of those Palestinian children’s lives, we need to both improve their current situations, and work to prevent the events that give rise to these situations in the first place. Our charity in 2009 is focussing on Gaza’s children, primarily on education and play. The following charities have staff and facilities in place in Gaza today and are taking donations for health and humanitarian issues:
- Medical Aid for Palestinians.
- United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) – they had a very evocative plea from a mother in Gaza, who says in a very matter-of-fact way that her wish is “to die together as one family so no one of us has to live through the bitterness of losing the other”.
- Save the Children.
Following are media reports of this most destructive and deadly invasion on Gaza. Note that some of the links may be taken down by the media organisations as they age.
| In Palestine, a War on Children | antiwar.com/orig/pilger.php?arti… |
| Palestinian Child Prisoners | uk.youtube.com/watch?v=FMb1Ye3qpWE |
| Palestinian children die in blast | news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle… |
| Strip-Searching Children | ifamericansknew.org/cur_sit/chil… |
| Children killed in West Bank and Gaza | haaretz.com/hasen/spages/909972.… |
| Education in Gaza and the international blockade | news.independent.co.uk/world/mid… |
| Twilight Zone / The children of 5767 | haaretz.com/hasen/spages/907708.… |
| Save the Children – Child Rights Fact Sheet | savethechildren.org.uk/en/docs/o… |
| Israel Perpetuates Conflict Through Palestinian Child Prisoners | alternativenews.org/news/english… |
| Israel launches air assault on Gaza, killing more than 225 | mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/5… |
| Israel launches deadly Gaza attacks | guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/27… |
| Christmas In Gaza : No More Room In The Morgue | informationclearinghouse.info/ar… |
| Gaza: where civilians become targets | guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/200… |
| Children are main victims of Gaza conflict | savethechildren.org.uk/en/41_729… |
| ‘For the children, it is like living in hell’ | independent.co.uk/news/world/mid… |
| ‘We are all scared. My youngest daughter is panicked … none of us sleep properly’ | guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/29… |
| Civilian death toll rises after second day of air strikes | guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/29… |
| Onslaught Continues, Death Haunts Gaza Kids | palestinechronicle.com/news.php?… |
| ‘I didn’t see any of my girls, just a pile of bricks’ | guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/30… |
| ‘My cousin is still under the rubble’ | guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/30… |
| Five sisters killed in Gaza while they slept | independent.co.uk/news/world/mid… |
| Gaza children too scared to step outside | independent.co.uk/news/world/mid… |
| Gaza children traumatised as Israeli bombs rain down | google.com/hostednews/afp/articl… |
| Grave threat that Gaza violence will leave thousands more children malnourished | savethechildren.org.uk/en/41_730… |
| In Pictures: Massacre of Gazan Children | uruknet.info/?p=50118 |
| Music Therapy for Traumatised Palestinian Children yields positive results | etownian.com/article.php?id=1458 |
| Palestinian Children Participate in International Day for the Eradication of Poverty | un.org/unrwa/news/briefings/2008… |
| Challenges to building a Children’s Hospital in Christian area of West Bank | time.com/time/world/article/0,85… |
| Children denied access to medical treatment for life threatening conditions | amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE… |
| Defence for Children report on arbitrary arrests of Palestinian children | dci-pal.org/english/display.cfm?… |
| Palestinian Graduate Awarded For Trauma Research | medicalnewstoday.com/articles/13… |
| Israel, Hamas and Schools | newstatesman.com/middle-east/200… |
| Music Laboratory launched for Nablus children | english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=… |
| UN Report Expresses Grave Concern for Palestinian Children | ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43915 |
| East Jerusalem’s education crisis | news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/f… |
| Education, occupation, incarceration | guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/200… |
| Jenin’s Theatrical Oasis | english.aljazeera.net/programmes… |
| Gaza’s Traumatized Children Can’t Wait For Borders to Open and Violence to End | wrmea.com/archives/April_2009/09… |
| Full Human Rights Watch Report on Israeli killing of civilians waving white flags | hrw.org/en/node/85004/section/1 |
| International School in Gaza carries on despite destruction | npr.org/templates/story/story.ph… |
| Swimming in sewage | irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportI… |
| Shell-shocked children in Gaza Flock to Martial Arts | news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090820/lf… |
| “The naughty boys of Gaza” | act-intl.org/news.php?uid=721 |
| Calls for Israel to allow restoration of schools in Gaza | au.christiantoday.com/article/is… |
| UN still finding unexploded ordnance in Gaza, still killi | alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IR… |
| Israel establishes special courts for Palestinian child detainees | imemc.org/article/61474 |
| Half of Gaza’s newborn at immediate risk of Nitrate Poisoning | guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cif… |
| One year on, Childhood in Ruins | guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec/17… |
| Government provides Gaza aid cash | news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/789… |
| Civic body donates computers to Gaza children | archive.gulfnews.com/articles/09… |
| Psychological trauma, nightmares stalk Gaza children | irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportI… |
| Gaza children “afraid to return to school” | irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportI… |
| Upgrade Palestinian rights | guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/200… |
| Children in Gaza Strip traumatised after armed conflict | soschildrensvillages.org.uk/char… |
| Israeli missile kills schoolboy | news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/world… |
| Gaza children traumatised after Israeli offensive | reuters.com/article/latestCrisis… |
| 37 Children killed in Israeli incursion to Gaza | msnbc.msn.com/id/28464144 |
| Does the world have the appetite to prosecute Israel for war crimes in Gaza? | guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/10… |
| Gaza children ‘have no safe place’ | news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle… |
| Israel: Stop Unlawful Use of White Phosphorus in Gaza | hrw.org/en/news/2009/01/10/israe… |
| Massacre of a family seeking sanctuary | independent.co.uk/news/world/mid… |
| More than 260 children killed | guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/10… |
| Palestine: “I do not want my kids to see me torn into pieces” | globalvoicesonline.org/2009/01/1… |
| A 14-year-old in Gaza has one question: Why? | boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial… |
| Newborns and Babies in Gaza Face Increasing Health Threats | savethechildren.org/newsroom/200… |
| ‘I wish the war would end’ – Gaza’s children pay psychological cost of conflict | unicef.org/emerg/index_47102.html |
| FIELD UPDATE ON GAZA FROM THE HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR | ochaopt.org/gazacrisis/admin/out… |
| Firm action urged to ensure accountability in Gaza conflict | amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/… |
| Gaza: The War On Children | huffingtonpost.com/jamal-dajani/… |
| Letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon from Human Rights Watch | hrw.org/news/2009/01/12/letter-s… |
| Power cuts put Gaza babies at risk | news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/ne… |
| Deprived and Endangered: Humanitarian Crisis in the Gaza Strip | hrw.org/en/news/2009/01/12/depri… |
| Gaza children increasingly traumatised – specialists | irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportI… |
| Killing Children in Gaza and Israel | newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfa… |
| Save the Children – Mohammed’s Story | youtube.com/watch?v=t8mTE9c-dLg&… |
| The children of Gaza | newstatesman.com/middle-east/200… |
| UNCRC Report on Effect of War on Gaza’s Children | unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/656… |
| emands grow for Gaza war crimes investigation | guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/13… |
| ‘They’ve killed us. Me, Amal and Soso. They’ve gone to heaven’ | guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/14… |
| Children under fire | weekly.ahram.org.eg/2009/929/re1… |
| Lancet blasts Israeli ‘atrocities’ in Gaza | google.com/hostednews/afp/articl… |
| Maternal health in Gaza | thelancetglobalhealthnetwork.com… |
| ‘Ode to Joy’ at a joyless concert | haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1055588… |
| BBC Report on use of phosphorous by Israel in Gaza | news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle… |
| Children suffering most in Gaza conflict: UNICEF | google.com/hostednews/afp/articl… |
| Injured Gaza children in Belgium | news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe… |
| Israeli bombs silence Gaza music school | dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edi… |
| Public health aid deteriorating as attacks on Gaza continue | mediaglobal.org/article/2009-01-… |
| Update from Gaza amid “Massacre of innocents” | soschildrensvillages.org.uk/char… |
| Why children are the first casualties of war in Gaza | guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/15… |
| The IDF has no mercy for the children in Gaza nursery schools | haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1055574… |
| Children found with bullets lodged in their head | archive.gulfnews.com/region/Egyp… |
| Gazans confront shattered lives | news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle… |
| Israeli fire killed interviewee’s 3 daughters just before airtime | mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/5… |
| News36-Gaza doctor’s tragedy caught on israeli tv-17 jan 09 | youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=… |
| Gazans confront scenes of devastation and loss | mcclatchydc.com/world/story/6014… |
| ‘The last children to die in Gaza’ | google.com/hostednews/afp/articl… |
| Did the Israelis use white phosphorus in populated areas? | mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/6… |
| Gaza kids to get homes | hurriyet.com.tr/english/domestic… |
| Gaza: Palestinian family mourns 48 dead | telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/m… |
| Bowen diary: A father’s loss | news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle… |
| Child casualties of Israel’s war on Gaza | guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/23… |
| Child victims in Gaza | guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/200… |
| Children of Gaza: stories of those who died and the trauma for those who survived | guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/23… |
| Growing concern over Israel’s weapons use | independent.co.uk/news/world/mid… |
| Helmi al Samouni with his young child (photo) | newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/4… |
| UNICEF Information Note on the Gaza Crisis | reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SI… |
| Bowen diary: No ordinary school day | news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle… |
| Children return to school in Gaza | [Article%20no%20longer%20available] |
| For Children of Gaza, Scars to Last a Lifetime | washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conten… |
| Bowen diary: Stranded with dead | news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle… |
| Israel’s destruction of U.S.-style school shocks Gazans | mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/6… |
| Israeli troops killed Gaza children carrying white flag, witnesses say | mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/6… |
| Israeli forces kill five Palestinian children in Gaza | telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/m… |
| For a child, war means mum reads you stories | independent.co.uk/news/world/mid… |
| Life in the midst of Gaza conflict, through the eyes of a Palestinian teenager | unicef.org/emerg/index_47018.html |
| UNICEF Statement 2 | unicef.org/media/media_46999.html |
| UNICEF Statement on the crisis in Gaza | unicef.org/media/media_47003.html |
| Children pay a high price for turmoil | ft.com/cms/s/83e2f584-dc22-11dd-… |
| Israel shuns ceasefire plea as it prepares for street combat | thescotsman.scotsman.com/world/I… |
| Palestinian Christians Afraid to Leave Homes in Gaza | opendoorsusa.org/content/view/88… |
| Channel 4 Video of child starvation and trauma | link.brightcove.com/services/pla… |
| Gaza’s darkest day: 40 die as Israel bombs ‘safe haven’ UN school | dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/a… |
| Gaza’s day of carnage – 40 dead as Israelis bomb two UN schools | guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/07… |
| Massacre of innocents as UN school is shelled | independent.co.uk/news/world/mid… |
| Red Cross demands Gaza access, cites ‘shocking’ discoveries | edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast… |
| Woman mourns 15 relatives in Gaza | news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cove… |
| Babies dying as Gazans struggle to reach overwhelmed hospitals | savethechildren.org.uk/en/41_735… |
| Medical Preventative measures | zimbio.com/AP+News/articles/8704… |
| Video of charity update | link.brightcove.com/services/pla… |
| The youngest casualties of the conflict in Gaza (13 pictures) | guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/200… |
| Health and human rights in the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza | thelancet.com/journals/lancet/ar… |
| U.N. rights chief calls for Gaza war crimes probe | reuters.com/article/topNews/idUS… |
| U.N. wants to know if war crimes were committed in Gaza | mcclatchydc.com/227/story/59383.… |
| Creation of a Special Tribunal to try Israeli War Criminals | petitiononline.com/EAFORD09 |
| Guardian Reports on Systematic Israeli Destruction of Palestinian Educational Institutions | guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/10… |
| Israel kills over 30 in a UN School | google.com/hostednews/ap/article… |
| Shell-shocked children who are drawn into the cult of the martyr | guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/07… |
| Half of wounded Gaza children disabled | presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=83735&… |
| Children become tunnel diggers because of lack of options | au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/entertainm… |
| Gaza’s children struggle with memories of war | khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.… |
| Israeli restrictions on food starving children in Gaza | haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1099179… |
| israeli attacks and seige of Gaza cause increase in child labour. UNICEF reports | unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infob… |
| Children in Gaza attempt to set Guinness world record for kite flying | telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegall… |
| Collaborate with your oppressor or your child won’t receive treatment | guardian.co.uk/world/video/2009/… |
| Smile on the Face of the Tiger | original.antiwar.com/pilger/2009… |
| 300,000 at risk of house demolition by Israeli authorities | savethechildren.org.uk/en/41_838… |
| Report on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in Gaza’s Children | gcmhp.net |
| UN rights mission hears of Gaza children’s suffering | rawstory.com/news/afp/UN_rights_… |
| Gaza’s children are victims of continuing aggression | english.wafa.ps/?action=detail&#… |
| 73 Gaza children to receive trauma counseling in Poland | maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=Sh… |
| Building new foundations from the ruins of old ones | guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jun/09… |
| Amnesty International Report on Israeli Operation “Cast Lead” | groups.google.co.uk/group/TheLon… |
| Sewage warning to swimmers | irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportI… |
| A day in the life of a Gazan Child | hend-abuenein.blogspot.com/2009/… |
| Children bound, blindfolded and beaten by Israeli troops | independent.co.uk/news/world/mid… |
| Israeli policy splits families | middle-east-online.com/english/?… |
| Time Report on Israeli Mistreatment of Palestinian Child Prisoners | time.com/time/world/article/0,85… |
| Slim pickings for young scavengers in Gaza Strip | reuters.com/article/worldNews/id… |
| Child dies in Gaza due to Israeli closure | dci-pal.org/english/display.cfm?… |
| Gaza solid waste management in dire straits | irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportI… |
| Israel’s dirty secrets in Gaza | independent.co.uk/news/world/mid… |
| War-hit children struggle to lead normal life | archive.gulfnews.com/articles/09… |
| Audio slideshow: Children of Gaza | news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7918926.stm |
| Palestinian health system in crisis | reuters.com/article/latestCrisis… |
| Doctors struggling to treat Gaza’s suffering wounded | archive.gulfnews.com/articles/09… |
| Children need more support in Gaza – UNICEF head | irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportI… |
| Reuters reports on Gaza group winning $630,000 for helping children to read and write | reuters.com/article/artsNews/idU… |
| Health conditions worsening in Gaza as borders remain closed – UN agency | reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SI… |
| Palestinian doctor recounts death of his young daughters and lack of desire for revenge | latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-a… |
| Israel used depleted uranium in offensive on Gaza | paltelegraph.com/hot-topic/935-i… |
| The aftermath of war in Gaza: Responding to compounded trauma | churchworldservice.org/site/News… |
| Defying Gaza’s closed borders with laughter | u.tv/News/Gazans-look-for-a-plac… |
| In pictures: Gaza’s new mud homes | news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle… |
| The West Bank village of Bil’in is leading creative and non-violent resistance to Israeli aggression | guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/200… |
| Gaza’s children peddle their wares on streets to help make ends meet | gulfnews.com/region/Middle_East/… |
| War Crimes Against Children, A PCHR investigation into Palestinian children killed by Israeli Forces in the Gaza Strip | pchrgaza.ps/files/Reports/Englis… |
| Child labor rises as Palestinian children lose faith in learning | dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edi… |
| BBC Report on Schooling in Gaza | news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle… |
| Zookeeper Paints Zebras for Gaza’s children | guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2009/… |
| Palestinian Child Detainees of the Israeli Occupation | thenation.com/doc/20091102/dcruz |
| Segregated Education in Israeli schools | australia.to/index.php?option=co… |
| Sesame Street in the West Bank | nytimes.com/2009/10/04/magazine/… |
| Palestinian Teen Gets Prosthetic Leg in Washington | seattlepi.com/local/410726_newle… |
| Gaza’s children break kite flying record | community.guinnessworldrecords.c… |
| UN agency calls on Israel to lift book blockade of Gaza schools | cgi.wn.com/?action=display&… |
| Increase in Palestinian Child Detainees | ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48576 |
| Gaza schoolchildren struggling to learn | irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportI… |
| Female soldiers break their silence | ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3… |
| “Children of Gaza: Scarred, trapped, vengeful” | license.icopyright.net/user/view… |
| Channel 4 Documentary on Children of Gaza | youtube.com/watch?v=wd6SklTzn1A |
| Israeli soldiers use Gaza child to check for booby trap bombs | telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/m… |
| In Gaza, the schools are dying too | guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/10… |