They entered the world hand in hand, and they left it the same way. Sana and Saba, four-year-old twins who knew nothing but the warmth of their mother's arms and the filtered sunlight behind shattered windows, were killed together in Gaza as Israeli airstrikes continued to ravage civilian homes.

Born in a land under siege, their lives were shaped by fear, displacement, and loss. Their deaths became another haunting reminder of the unbearable price Palestinian families are paying. A final farewell, captured through the lens of grief-stricken journalists, showed the tiny bodies cradled in their father's arms — images that flooded social media, breaking hearts across the world and fuelling the outcry against the targeting of innocent children.

Photographers, many of whom have documented months of suffering, described a profound helplessness. “Sometimes I wonder what difference our images make when the world remains silent," said photojournalist Mohammad Asaad. His words echoed the feelings of many Palestinian journalists whose cameras have become silent witnesses to the daily massacres.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reports that at least 16,000 children have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, with the toll rising sharply as Israel intensifies its military operations. Thousands more have been orphaned, left to navigate a shattered childhood amidst the rubble of their homes and the ruins of their dreams.

More than 51,000 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the war, with over 116,000 wounded. In Gaza, where half the population are children, entire neighbourhoods have been flattened, hospitals destroyed, and schools reduced to dust. In every funeral, in every broken home, the world is witnessing a generation being wiped away — and yet, silence persists.