As World Children’s Day is observed elsewhere with pledges to safeguard young lives, children in Gaza continue to endure the daily consequences of a genocidal war that has robbed them of safety, stability, and the simple freedom to learn. Entire neighbourhoods lie in rubble, leaving families scattered in makeshift shelters and depriving a whole generation of the basic environment required for childhood.

Most schools across the Strip have been shattered beyond repair, with education officials estimating that virtually every remaining facility will need to be entirely rebuilt. Tens of thousands of pupils are now displaced, living in brittle tents with little protection from hunger or harsh weather. With formal education largely halted for a third year, many children have lost the routine and security that classrooms once offered.

Local health and education figures show a staggering toll: thousands of children have been killed, many more injured, and hundreds of thousands stripped of access to school. New pupils who should have taken their first steps into primary education have been denied the chance to begin, while severe shortages of food have pushed tens of thousands into acute malnutrition. Beyond the physical suffering, the emotional impact is profound, children who have lost their homes or families are struggling with trauma that will shape their futures long after the bombing stops.

Humanitarian workers warn that without rapid action to rebuild schools, restore food supplies, and provide safe environments, Gaza’s children face irreversible harm. They stress that protecting young lives is not an abstract ideal but an urgent responsibility that demands immediate attention from the international community. On a day meant to reaffirm global commitments to children’s rights, the pleas coming from Gaza’s shelters and tents are unmistakable: a call for safety, dignity, and the chance simply to live.