Of Milena Santerini
In recent months, the situation of children in the Gaza strip has fallen into an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, characterized by a very high number of victims, widespread malnutrition, collapse of health services and destruction of essential infrastructures. The exact figures of the victims of Israeli attacks do not know each other – perhaps 50,000 – but it is estimated that there are at least 3000 children under five years. After blocking aid, from March 2025, and the partial recovery of these days are added, for minors in the north of the strip, malnutrition or even deterioration. The health system is collapsing: 26 of the 36 hospitals in Gaza have been put out of use From over 400 attacks and the only pediatric hospital in the North is no longer operational. They are missing medicines and basic necessities. Over 1 million children live in luck, exposed to cold and without access to essential services.
These children who are growing affected by the trauma of war, bombing, mutilations or loss of family members, They present the risk of long -term consequences in their life. The impact of the loss of the school is also concerned. Before the war, the Gaza strip boasted a well -structured educational system, with a literacy rate of more than 95% among children aged between 6 and 12 years. Today many schools are destroyed or damaged
A study, the result of a joint initiative of the UNRWA (the UN Agency for Palestinian refugees), the Faculty of Education Sciences of the University of Cambridge and the Center for Lebanese Studies, evaluated the impact of the lack of schooling: In the best of cases the delay will be two years, but if the war does not end soon, it could reach five years. The researchers calculate that the months of school lost so far have increased the “learning poverty” – the percentage of children unable to read an elementary text within 10 years – of at least 20 percentage points.
But the most devastating consequence could be to lose trust and hope in the future (just in the jubilee year that Pope Francis had dedicated to it). One wonders if this generation of children will be able to believe in human rights, equality and peace, after being betrayed so cruelly. From a social and political point of view, it would unfortunately be very easy to expect guys who grow animated by the spirit of revenge, an easy prey of terrorism and the radicalization of extremist groups. Gideon Levy, journalist of the Israeli newspaper Haaretzhe wrote an article entitled “Israel is fostering the Next Generation of Hatred Against Itself” describing how Israeli military actions are sowing a deep hatred in Palestinian children, and how another generation of resistants are growing.
To them, as to Israeli children victims of the massacre made by Hamas on 7 October 2023the international community will have to return the trust that we are truly capable of protection and care towards them, and therefore we really want to choose peace.
*Milena Santerini, Professor of General Pedagogy at the Catholic University of the S.Cuore
Cover photo, reuters
