Gaza — Childhood Under Siege

“The Gaza Strip is an open-air jail, except that in a prison, it is compulsory to take minimal care of the inmates,” explains a Terre des hommes delegate in Jerusalem. For years, the blockade has isolated Gaza, limiting movement and restricting even basic goods.

The 2014 summer bombing left more than 2,000 civilian casualties and destroyed fragile infrastructure — schools, energy plants, and public service buildings. Poverty and high demographic growth strain the shrinking territory.

Children bear the heaviest burden. According to UNICEF, over 450,000 require urgent psychosocial support. Economic hardship drives many out of school, while schools themselves struggle to meet the demand. Some children are forced into hazardous, exploitative, or violent work, risking health and safety to survive.

Terre des hommes works to combat child labour in one of Gaza’s poorest and most war-affected areas. By bringing children back to schools or vocational training centres, Tdh provides tools to reclaim a measure of control over their futures, offering not only education but the fragile possibility of a better life.