Houssam Salah Abouajwa was initially hesitant to let his 10-year-old daughter Tala go out to play, but he finally gave in so she could roller skate near their home in Gaza City. Two minutes later, he heard an explosion. The strike killed his daughter, the latest child victim in an 11-month war between Israel and Hamas that has killed tens of thousands in the Palestinian territory.
The war has caused massive population displacement and the destruction of schools, leaving children in the Gaza Strip with virtually no space to play. “The longer children stay out of school, the greater the risk of a lost generation, fueling resentment and extremism,” the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, warned this week on X.
