Gaza (UNA/WAFA) – In a popular market in Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, near a shelter, a group of children take turns operating a metal machine by hand to grind hard chickpeas, in an attempt to earn a living amid the systematic starvation imposed by the Israeli occupation authorities, which have been committing genocide for 20 months.
With small hands and faces exhausted by hunger and fatigue, the children forcefully push the grinder in a tiring circular motion, a scene that epitomizes the magnitude of the responsibilities that have weighed heavily on them after they lost their right to education, protection, and a decent living.
They engage in hard work imposed by the primitive living conditions they have been forced to endure due to the war, which has cut off electricity since October 7, 2023, and the subsequent disruption of electronic devices and the lack of technology and transportation. This has forced them to perform tasks beyond their capabilities and age.
Examples of these activities include, but are not limited to, chopping chickpeas by hand instead of using electric machines, and pulling heavy carts, which exacerbates children's suffering and exacerbates the negative consequences of forced labor, which constitutes a violation of international law and humanitarian values.
The International Labour Organization calls for the elimination and combating of child labour, and for this purpose has established a World Day on June 12 of each year.
On March 16, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned that Palestinian children were facing "extremely alarming" conditions, living in "extreme fear and anxiety," and suffering the consequences of being denied humanitarian assistance and protection.
Children under the age of 18 constitute 43 percent of the total population of the State of Palestine, which reached approximately 5.5 million people by the end of 2024, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics.
Children are paying the highest price for this ongoing aggression, which has left more than 18 children martyred and tens of thousands more injured, including some who have had one or more limbs amputated, according to human rights reports.
The remaining children live in tragic conditions due to repeated displacement and the loss of family members, including the primary breadwinner. This has left them with significant responsibilities, most notably providing for their own sustenance.
Abdul Rahman Abu Jamea, a young boy who rotates chickpeas and was displaced from the town of Bani Suhaila to the center of Khan Yunis, told Anadolu Agency that the ongoing genocide has deprived them of all their rights.
Abdul Rahman points out that before the war, Gaza's children lived happily, attending school and wearing new holiday clothes, but their lives have changed since the genocide began.
He explained that, driven by hunger and poverty, he was forced to work preparing falafel to provide for his family's daily needs and feed them amid the famine spreading throughout the Gaza Strip.
He pointed out that other solutions for obtaining food, such as going to US-Israeli aid distribution points, are "deadly," saying, "Anyone who goes out to receive aid is killed or injured."
Abdul Rahman expressed the seriousness of the situation in the Gaza Strip, saying, "A Palestinian cannot guarantee his survival even from two steps away," referring to the possibility of being bombed at any moment, even while moving or walking.
According to medical sources, the death toll from "aid" near US-Israeli distribution points has reached "224 martyrs and 858 wounded" since May 27.
This comes as Israel has tightly closed Gaza crossings to trucks carrying supplies and aid, piling up at the border since March 2, allowing only a few dozen trucks into the Strip, despite a minimum of 500 trucks per day needed.
As for Habeeba (8 years old), she wanders near the shelter center looking for people to buy her biscuits to support her family financially.
Habeeba, who was displaced with her family from eastern Khan Yunis to a shelter, says she sells biscuits to help her family survive on a bare minimum.
She told Anadolu Agency that she is working to buy flour amid the famine and the prevention of aid entry.
Regarding her dreams, Habeeba explains that she hopes to “live a normal life like other children,” noting that before the war she used to “play and study.”
But with the start of the war of extermination, she noted that Israel had left nothing untouched, as destruction spread everywhere.
According to the latest statistics, the destruction caused by the genocide since October 7, 2023, has reached approximately 88 percent of the infrastructure, homes, and buildings in the Gaza Strip.
Nour Al-Shawa (11 years old) goes to Nasser Hospital every day with her family members to fill up water.
She says, pushing a wheelchair laden with heavy water bottles, that she has lost her studies and education.
Nour expresses her fear because of the ongoing Israeli genocide that has robbed them of their childhood and peace of mind.
Tala Al-Shanbari shares her suffering, having to work and stand to sell food to help her family make ends meet.
Tala bitterly recalls her life before the war, saying, "We had a beautiful life, but now everything has changed. The crossings are closed, there's no food or drink, and the situation is getting more difficult with the ongoing bombing."
She explained that she and her family had opened a “small stall to secure a living,” and continued bitterly: “We go to death to get food.”
Tala hopes the war will end soon, allowing them to return to their homes in northern Gaza and meet their relatives.
“I sell clothes to help my family buy flour,” says Yamen Al-Qara, lying on the ground with a number of clothes, some of which are worn.
Under the scorching sun, Yamen explains that he lost his right to study and play, and has become a laborer to support his family.
He expresses his hopes for a truce and ceasefire in Gaza, so he can return to school and his normal life.
Under the pressure of worsening famine, 14-year-old Mona Al-Shanbari is forced to sell bread to support her family.
Instead of playing and laughing, Mona shouts loudly to attract the attention of passersby in the popular market: “Come on, bread.”
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