From Gaza… to the world
The Child Mariam
Her name is inspired by the journalist Maryam Abu Daqqa, who was martyred during the genocidal war on Gaza on 25 August 2025, when the occupying army bombed and targeted the emergency department at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
Journalist Maryam Abu Daqqa was 33 years old. Over her professional career, she worked as a freelance photojournalist and field correspondent with several media organizations. She was known for her profound humanity. She was the mother of a boy, about 13 years old, named Ghaith, and had once donated a kidney to save her father without hesitation.
Maryam, the daughter of Gaza and an icon of free speech, embodied through her courage and resolve the true image of the Palestinian journalist who conveys the truth despite every risk. She dedicated her life to defending her people’s cause and stood on the ground as a witness to both pain and hope, wielding her pen and camera as weapons against injustice and blackout. She departed as a martyr to human and professional duty, remaining a symbol of steadfast journalism and an unbreakable will. Her message lives on in Palestine’s memory and in all who believe in freedom.
The Child Salah; A Name Inspired by Salah Al-Dein Al-Ayyubi.
Salah Al-Dein Al-Ayyubi (Saladin) was a renowned Muslim leader born in 1137 in Tikrit, Iraq. Celebrated for his bravery, justice, and wisdom, he became Sultan of Egypt and Syria. His greatest achievement was confronting the Crusaders who occupied large parts of Palestinian especially Jerusalem. In 1187, he led his army and opened Jerusalem after the famous Battle of Hattin, without killing the city inhabitants, demonstrating mercy that made him a symbol of justice and courage. His leadership helped unite much of the Muslim world in his era, and Palestine was central to his focus, as he sought its return to just and secure rule.
Teachers in Palestine
Amid the devastation left by the assault on Gaza, the teacher Ahmad Al -Najjar stands as an example of resilience and insistence on life. Ahmad taught Arabic at a UNRWA school that was completely destroyed in the bombardment. Despite losing his home and being displaced with his family to a temporary camp, he did not abandon his educational mission. He gathered children beneath a small tent, using scattered scraps of paper and remnants of boards to explain lessons and read stories, trying to give them a moment of safety amid fear and ruin. We teach them so the occupation does not steal their dreams twice, Ahmad says, once when it demolishes our homes, and again when it kills hope within us. His story represents thousands of Palestinian teachers who continue teaching through their wounds, believing that the word is stronger than war and that education is a form of resistance.
Paramedics in Palestine
In Gaza shattered streets, paramedics work under bombardment as soldiers of humanity, armed only with bandages and an unwavering resolve to save lives. Since the start of the latest assault, their work has become nearly impossible amid fuel shortages, the collapse of the health system, and the targeting of ambulances themselves. Yet they continue moving toward strike sites to pull the wounded from beneath the rubble, fully aware their lives are at risk at every moment. Many have lost colleagues or family members while on duty, but they refuse to stop. When we reach an injured child and save them, says paramedic Samar Al-Shafie, we feel we have defeated death if only for a moment. These paramedics are Gaza last line of defense for life, embodying courage and the deep conviction that saving one person is, in itself, resistance in the face of genocide.
About Palestine
Over the past two years, Palestine has witnessed an unprecedented escalation in the occupation crimes against the Palestinian people, culminating in genocide and the wide scale assault on the Gaza Strip since October 2023. The occupation perpetrated systematic acts of extermination including the bombing of residential neighborhoods, hospitals, schools, and refugee camp resulting in the martyrdom of tens of thousands of civilians, most of them women and children, and widespread destruction of infrastructure. These crimes were not merely military operations, but the continuation of colonial policies aimed at uprooting Palestinians from their land and imposing a new demographic reality. In the West Bank, settler attacks backed by the occupation army intensified, with settlement expansion, land confiscation, and home demolitions. Despite broad international condemnation, the occupation continues to enjoy political and military protection from some major powers, deepening Palestinian suffering and entrenching a colonial reality that threatens Palestinian existence and the right to freedom, return, and self-determination.
About Gaza
Gaza is a Palestinian city with a large population that was subjected to mass extermination in 2023. The genocide began after Palestinian fighters entered areas within the occupied Palestinian territories, prompting a violent response by the occupying army. Countless homes were destroyed; electricity and water were cut off; and many families were forced to leave their houses in search of safety. Children in Gaza endured extremely difficult days.
The genocidal war on Gaza has not ended and has continued since October 2023, causing vast destruction and immense human suffering. Children in Gaza live under extraordinarily harsh conditions: many have lost their homes and schools, and face shortages of food, water, and medicine. Despite everything, hope remains in their heart they dream of a day when peace returns and life once again is filled with play, learning, and safety. It is important for children around the world to know that their friends in Gaza need prayers and support, and that peace is the most beautiful dream we can all share.
Gaza was home to vital and beautiful places that sustained daily life schools where children learned, mosques where people prayed, libraries, and hospitals. During the genocide, these landmarks were devastated. The education system was destroyed, depriving children of learning. Ancient mosques such as the Ahmad Yassin†mosque were reduced to rubble after missile strikes, turning places of worship into ruins. Even hospitals were not spared: the healthcare system was shattered, with facilities such as Al-Shifa Hospital and others coming under bombardment, making treatment of the sick far more difficult. All this occurred as aircraft struck buildings at different times during the genocide, robbing Gaza of cherished places that had symbolized life and hope.
In Gaza there are remarkable people, journalists, doctors, and paramedics who risk their lives to help others and to tell the world what is happening. Journalists work day and night to report the news from destroyed homes to people in desperate need even in the most dangerous conditions. Doctors and paramedics enter the rubble to treat patients and evacuate the wounded, doing everything they can to save lives.
According to global organizations, approximately 180 to 190 journalists and media workers Palestinians and others have been confirmed killed since the genocide began (most of them in Gaza), including the well-known Palestinian photojournalist Ismail Abu Hatab, who was martyred in an airstrike on 30 June 2025 while on duty. It is also said that more than 300 paramedics and doctors were killed during the genocide, among them medical staff, ambulance workers, and first responders for example, the massacre of paramedics in Rafah on 23 March 2025, when 15 emergency and rescue personnel, including members of the civil Red Crescent, were killed after ambulances and rescuers were targeted.
These heroes teach us courage and sacrifice. They do not stop even when danger is extreme, because they want people’s voices to be heard and their suffering to be known and because they want to save lives.
About the Neighborhood Where the Children in the Story Live: Al-Shujaiyya
Al-Shujaiyya is one of Gaza City’s oldest and most famous neighborhoods, located in the eastern part of the city. It is known for its narrow streets, old houses, and traditional markets that reflect the community heritage. Historically, it has been a center of culture, education, and trade. The neighborhood is named after the Al-Shujaiyya family, who lived there for centuries and were known for their courage and generosity attributes that became inseparably linked with the area. Today, Al-Shujaiyya remains a cultural and historical emblem of Gaza, distinguished by the spirit of its people and their proud heritage.
The Barrier Around Gaza
The barrier around the Gaza Strip also known as the Iron-Wall is a security system built by the occupation along its border with the Strip to prevent infiltration and attacks by armed Palestinian factions. Construction began in 1994 and evolved in stages until it reached its current form by 2021, costing around USD 1.1 billion and extending roughly 65 kilometers. The barrier consists of multiple layers, including an above ground fence and an underground component several meters deep, equipped with hundreds of cameras, radars, and advanced sensors. Despite these fortifications, the Palestinian resistance led by the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades managed to breach the barrier on several occasions, most notably during the Al-Aqsa Flood operation in October 2023, exposing vulnerabilities in the occupation security system and highlighting the resistance ability to adapt and innovate on the ground.
