More than 11 000 children, including those with disabilities, have taken part in The Gaza We Want initiative, which invites young people aged five to 18 to imagine a dignified future and articulate what they need most to rebuild their lives after years of conflict.
Speaking from Geneva, Jonathan Crickx, UNICEF’s Head of Communications in the occupied Palestinian territory, said the initiative reinforces the importance of meaningful child participation in planning Gaza’s recovery. “When thousands of children independently draw clean streets, classrooms and parks, it is no coincidence. It is a direct appeal to the world,” he said.
Across drawings, poems and handmade models, children prioritised safety, shelter, functioning schools with roofs and toilets, hospitals, mental‑health support and spaces to play. “These are not extraordinary demands. They are the fundamentals of childhood,” said Crickx.
He recounted meeting 15‑year‑old Hala in Deir Al‑Balah, whose education has been disrupted for months. She dreams of a safe home, her own bedroom and a real school. “Children’s deepest wish is simply to sleep through the night and walk to school without fear,” he said, noting many carry psychological wounds long after their physical injuries heal.
Despite the ceasefire in place since October 2025, more than 135 children have reportedly been killed in Gaza. UNICEF says reconstruction must be anchored in children’s voices. “A recovery that ignores children’s voices will fail them, and fail Gaza,” Crickx warned.
Humanitarian assistance meanwhile continues, with fresh bread, cooked meals and digital cash transfers reaching displaced families. Water trucking has increased after a major pipeline from Israel shut down due to leaks, and efforts are underway to rehabilitate damaged sewage‑pumping stations to prevent outbreaks of waterborne disease.
Two new clinics for non‑communicable disease screening have opened in North Gaza, but severe shortages of medicine and laboratory supplies persist, particularly for cancer and cardiac care.
–UN/ChannelAfrica–
