In one of the most horrific crimes against humanity, media reports have revealed that more than 16,000 children have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on October 7, 2023. These shocking figures were reported by Al Jazeera in their article dated May 22, 2025, which confirmed that children made up nearly half of the total casualties in this war. Homes, schools, and hospitals were not safe havens—they became direct targets, where the innocence of childhood fell before the cruelty of weapons.
The South Was No Refuge
During the early months of the war, thousands of families fled from northern Gaza to the south in search of safety. However, the south proved to be no less dangerous. Overcrowding, food shortages, and a lack of clean water all contributed to worsening the plight of children. As operations eased in some northern areas, many families returned to their destroyed homes in search of what remained of their memories and identity—but the children who returned faced a reality just as harsh.
Urgent Humanitarian Response
In the midst of this catastrophe, Aksa Association quickly launched a series of humanitarian field interventions to provide the minimum necessities of life for these children. Thousands of hot meals, emergency food parcels, and clean drinking water were distributed in the most affected areas, as part of a response plan focused on protecting children and meeting their basic needs.
Psychological Support as a Priority
Recognizing the importance of mental health, the association launched psychosocial support programs specifically targeting children, including group sessions and therapeutic activities supervised by specialized teams. The aim is to restore some sense of emotional stability to those who lost their sense of security and help them regain the ability to cope amid devastation.
The children of Gaza are not mere numbers in human rights reports—they are pure souls who deserve to live. Amid this ongoing tragedy, Aksa Association continues its work in partnership with donors from Turkey and around the world, serving as a bridge between disaster and dignity, between the rubble and a new beginning built on hope.
