In Pictures

Gallery|Humanitarian Crises

In Pictures: ‘I miss my games and red dress’

Gaza’s children talk about the loss of the places in which they once felt safe, their small universes – their bedrooms.

Saber, 12, from Juhor ad-Dik, misses his toy computer the most.

By Anne Paq

Published On 6 Nov 2014

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More than 108,000 Palestinians lost their homes during the latest Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, dubbed Operation Protective Edge, with more than 60,000 housing units destroyed or damaged, forcing one in four Palestinians in Gaza to flee.

Around 110,000 people are still displaced. And the majority of them are children.

Their bedrooms were their safe place, their small universe, but that was destroyed this summer. According to the UN, it will take 20 years to rebuild the parts of Gaza that were damaged.

A simple question was asked of some children: What do you miss most from your room?.

Sanabel, 10, from Shujayea, and her 6-year-old sister, Haifa. Sanabel misses her teddy bear and Haifa her doll.
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Mohammed, 11, from Beit Hanoun, misses his computer and his books. His home was one of the 90 flats destroyed by Israeli attacks on al-Nada towers.
Yarra Ziada, 9, from Shujayea, misses her games and red dress. She is afraid that the bombings will start again.
Asma Nofal, 2, from Beit Hanoun, lived in al-Nada towers.
Khalil, 6, from Shujayea, misses his red kite the most.
Malak, 3, from Shujayea, misses her doll.
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Rakan, 3, from Beit Hanoun also lived in al Nada tower.
Shaed Alyazi, 4, from Beit Hanoun.
Amar Musabeh, 5, in his destroyed bedroom in the Shujayea neighbourhood, Gaza City. He misses his money box the most.
Shaed Naeem, 12, [l], Tasneen, 9, [ctr] and Saja, 11, [r] from Beit Hanoun. Shaed misses her posters, Tasneen, her doll, and Saja, her clothes.
Abdallah, 6, from Beit Hanoun, misses his playstation.