According to the UN, more than 12,000 children have been killed and nearly 600,000 have had to flee their homes since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
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“I just wish I could have filmed this number of mothers who welcomed me in tears because they no longer have any way to protect their children from famine, or from bombs.” These are the words of James Elder, the director of Unicef in the Gaza Strip. Because the first victims of this war between Israel and Hamas, he specifies, are children.
More than 12,000 were killed according to the United Nations, nearly 600,000 young Gazans had to flee their homes. All day long, they wander the alleys of the Nuseirat displaced persons camp, located in the central part of the Gaza Strip. Boys and girls, playing with what they find, pass the time as best they can.
Salma, a young Gazan, is 10 years old. Like many, her eyes are permanently glued to the sky. “We still hear the sound of planes continuing to bomb, and then there are also other planes that are now in the sky, she describes. These are planes that drop packages, especially for those who are still in the north of the Gaza Strip.” Within hours, she had to flee her home in Gaza City. She lost everything and now lives in a tent with her two sisters and her parents. “Every night when I sleep, I dream of waking up and discovering that the war is over, because what we are experiencing is a nightmare. I wish it would happen quickly..“, insists the little girl.
The distraught father
At his side, his father recounts the physical and psychological exhaustion. The whole family has been fleeing from one place to another for almost six months. Yasser says he no longer knows what to do for his children. “I have always seen hope in their eyes… But since we have been displaced, I have only seen sadness in their eyes. They have understood very well that from now on we are heading towards a completely unknown future”he confides.
To get his children out of a seemingly endless war and take refuge in Egypt, Yasser must find at least $25,000 to pay for their passage to the Rafah border post. He would like to do it so that Salma can find stability. Or a semblance of normality, adds the little girl. “I miss my school, my friends and our life before a lot, recognizes Salma. I remember the car rides we took with Dad.”
“I really miss all my friends. And then I would like to go back to my class at school. Start learning things again with my teacher.”
Salma, a 10-year-old girl from Gazaat franceinfo
According to the United Nations, in the first four months, the Israeli offensive on Gaza killed more children than all the conflicts in the last four years around the world.