By Safaa Al-Bureim
GAZA, April 5, 2026 (WAFA) – On this day in 1995, during the first Palestinian Child Conference, late President Yasser Arafat declared the State of Palestine’s commitment to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, establishing April 5 as Palestinian Children’s Day.
This year, the occasion comes as the Israeli onslaught on Gaza, ongoing since October 2023, continues to shape the lives of hundreds of thousands of children living under extreme conditions.
In a tent scattered across the sands of Al-Mawasi in southern Gaza, seven-year-old Ola Abu Jame opens her day drawing a house she once had, softly repeating a childlike chant. That home in eastern Khan Younis no longer exists, destroyed in an airstrike that killed her parents and two siblings. She now lives with her ill grandmother.
Ola’s story reflects a wider reality. More than 64,000 Palestinian children have lost one or both parents since the start of the war, according to the Ministry of Social Development. The number marks a sharp rise from 17,000 registered orphans before October 2023.
Children across Gaza face a harsh daily reality defined by loss, displacement, illness, and constant insecurity. The ministry says these children endure unprecedented humanitarian conditions, including forced displacement, lack of shelter, disrupted education and healthcare, and severe shortages of food and medicine.
Aya Al-Najjar, a 10-year-old who lost her father when their home in Khan Younis was bombed, recalls how her life changed overnight. She speaks of a time when her family lived happily together, before the war took her father and destroyed their home. She expresses a simple wish to live safely again with her mother and siblings.
The scale of loss is stark. By February 2026, Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported that 21,289 children had been killed since the war began, with more than 44,500 injured. Among the dead are hundreds of newborns and infants under one year old.
Education has also been deeply affected. Around 700,000 children have been deprived of formal schooling, while estimates from UNICEF indicate that about 90 percent of schools in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed.
Twelve-year-old Celine Saeed says her greatest wish is to return to a classroom, to see a teacher and a blackboard, and to hold a pen again. She is among those attending makeshift schools set up in tents in displacement camps in southern Gaza, which meet only a fraction of the overwhelming need.
In March 2026, 11 premature infants returned to Gaza after spending more than two years in Egypt, where they were evacuated for medical care following the 2023 evacuation of Al-Shifa Hospital. Among them was two-year-old Sham, reunited with her mother for the first time since birth, in an emotional moment after years of separation.
The war has also taken a toll on newborns. Health data indicates that one in five infants now requires intensive care due to low birth weight, linked to maternal malnutrition, chronic stress, and inadequate healthcare during pregnancy.
Displacement remains widespread. More than 1.9 million people in Gaza have been forced to flee, many multiple times, as they move between areas under evacuation orders. Families live in overcrowded shelters and worn-out tents, facing hunger, lack of clean water, and the spread of diseases.
Twelve-year-old Adam Shaqlia describes repeated displacement across Gaza, saying his family has moved from the north to Khan Younis, back north, and then south again, never finding stability or safety.
Beyond physical hardship, the psychological toll is severe. A report by the United Nations Population Fund describes the situation as a deep mental health emergency. Data shows that 96 percent of children in Gaza feel death is imminent, while large numbers suffer from post-traumatic stress, depression, and anxiety.
Mohammad Zarab, a displaced child, recalls losing his parents and younger sister when their home was destroyed. He says he dreams of them returning, only to wake to the sound of airstrikes. He no longer fears death, but fears forgetting their faces.
Officials from Gaza’s Ministry of Social Development have called for urgent international intervention, including support for orphans, rebuilding child-focused infrastructure, and expanded psychological care programs.
As crossings remain restricted and aid limited, these appeals face significant obstacles. For Gaza’s children, the day is not only a moment of remembrance, but a reminder of an uncertain future, where safety, stability, and basic rights remain out of reach.
M.N
