Gaza’s children are important breadwinners for their families

In the middle of the Deir al-Balah market in the central Gaza Strip, Khaled Abu Hasira, a 13-year-old boy, stands behind a small kiosk making hot drinks such as tea and coffee and selling them to those who pass by.

13 months ago, Khaled was a diligent student and leader of his elementary school’s scout team in Gaza City, but an Israeli airstrike killed his father and forced his family to flee to the southern part of the coastal enclave. Since then, Khaled is forced to work to provide for his mother and four younger siblings.

He was never used to such a massive responsibility. “I wished I could go back to school, be with my friends and participate in the scout team that I loved. But everything has changed now,” he said to The New Arab. 

In his modest kiosk, Khaled works from early morning until evening, making tea and coffee. About four months ago, hot water spilled on his face and hands, causing third-degree burns.  He returned to work after only a few days.

“Khaled’s work is our only source of income,” says his mother, whose features are pale from malnutrition and the harsh condition of living in a tent.

“Khaled has become much older than his age. I wish he could live his childhood, but the war took everything from us,” she added. She explained that she sold her gold jewellery and wedding ring to support her children, but with her money running out, she has no choice but to push her eldest son Khaled to work.

Loss of innocence

On 20 November of each year, the world marks “International Children’s Day”, an occasion to highlight children’s rights and the need to protect them. These rights are a distant dream for thousands of Gaza’s children like Khaled, who were forced to abandon their schools and hopes and work.

In the market of the Nuseirat camp in the middle of the Gaza Strip, a little girl, Rahaf Ghazal, 12 years old, calls out to shoppers, urging them to buy canned food in a childish voice that was almost audible amidst the market’s bustle. 

Before the war on Gaza, Rahaf spent her time between her school and learning English at one of the educational centres in Gaza, as she dreamed of becoming an English-speaking journalist to convey the suffering of her people to the world.

But the Israeli army arrested her father about eight months ago, and since then Rahaf has become a vendor in the market in order to help her mother support her family of eight.

Rahaf, who lives with her family in a shelter school affiliated with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), told TNA, “I sell the canned food that we do not need, which we get from the World Food Organization on a regular basis, and with the money I buy bread and cheese to feed my young siblings.”

Recalling her life before the war, she says, “I used to live in peace. I go to school in the morning, and in the evening I devote my time to learning English. All of that is in the past now.”

“We no longer have a house, it was completely destroyed, and I don’t know when I will return to my school, which has been reduced to rubble,” she added.

For a second year in a row, 630,000 students in primary and secondary schools have been deprived of their education, as UN experts reported that this war has destroyed more than 80 percent of Gaza’s schools.

During its war on Gaza, the Israeli army completely destroyed 125 schools and universities, and partially destroyed 336 schools and universities. Israeli raids also killed at least 11,738 students and 750 teachers.

Most impacted group

“The war has affected the entire system of children’s rights, especially basic rights, such as the right to life, survival, and growth, and other rights related to health, education, water, food, medicine, a clean environment, and shelter,” the International Movement for Children said in a statement.

In this context, the psychological and social expert from Gaza, Iyad Al-Shorbaji, stressed that Israel’s ongoing war has left deep impact on Palestinian children who are considered among the most affected groups as a result of displacement, loss of parents, and living in harsh and unhealthy conditions.

“The war destroyed family ties, as children who lost their parents began to bear burdens and responsibilities beyond their age, which made them lose their sense of security and belonging,” Al-Shorbagy told TNA.

He explained that child labour deprives children of their basic right to education, and makes them vulnerable to economic and physical exploitation in dangerous and humiliating work environments.

“Turning children into workers instead of students is a social and economic crime that threatens the stability of the entire society, as they are forced to bear responsibilities beyond their psychological and physical capacity, which exposes them to complex health and social crises,” he added. 

He stressed that children in Gaza are paying the price of the war and called for international intervention to provide psychological, social and financial assistance, in addition to rebuilding schools and ensuring their right to education.

Since the outbreak of Israel’s genocidal war began on 7 October 2023, the Israeli army has killed more than 13,000 Palestinian children, out of more than 44,000 Palestinian dead, and about 17,000 children in the Gaza Strip now live without one or both of their parents.

According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the number of children under 18 in the Gaza Strip in mid-2024 reached 1,067,986 children, constituting 47 percent of Gaza’s total population.