Gaza children stand in the palm of memory
(MENAFN) In the devastated Tel al-Hawa area, located on the western edge of Gaza City, traces of childhood remain scattered beneath the tattered fabric of a makeshift shelter.
Fourteen-year-old Kamal Mahdi sits curled up on damp blankets, his slender figure dwarfed by the surrounding destruction. His eyes, wide and empty, gaze over the ruined street as if searching for a glimpse of the life that once was. Pulling his knees close, his voice is barely audible.
"Before the war, life was simple," Mahdi said, according to reports. "I woke up early, put on my uniform, and rushed to school. Afterwards, I'd play football in the alley with friends. On weekends or holidays, we'd gather around my grandfather ... He had stories about the Nakba, about how our people were forced from their homes in 1948."
He fell silent for a moment, his voice breaking. "I used to think those were just stories from the past. But now ... I live it. I know what it means to lose your home, to run with only what you can carry. I know what it's like to fall asleep to the sound of bombs and wake up to nothing but dust," he shared in sorrow.
The hopes he once held — dreams filled with joy and laughter — were shattered in October 2023 when an Israeli missile hit his neighborhood.
"We fled many times," Mahdi recalled, rubbing his dry hands together. "Each time, we left something behind. A photo album, a toy, my school notebooks ... even my grandfather's grave. We couldn't even say goodbye."
Beside him, his 12-year-old cousin Camelia huddled on a plastic mat, clutching a battered schoolbag tightly.
"I loved school," she said softly, her voice shaking. "I loved the smell of new books and how proud I felt wearing my uniform. My teacher used to say I had a beautiful voice for reading. I used to dream of becoming a teacher too."
These poignant recollections reveal the deep scars the conflict has left on Gaza’s youngest residents, who now yearn simply for a chance to live a normal life free from fear.
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