DaysofPal – Raising children in Gaza has become a daily battle against fear, hunger, and the constant threat of violence. For Diana Shams, a young mother living in the Strip with her two children, motherhood means navigating life under bombs, drones, and continuous displacement.
Author of A Different Kind of Motherhood, Shams reflects on the challenges of raising children amidst war: “In Gaza, even motherhood is a target. To carry life is to carry risk.
To raise children is to raise them under fire, explosions, buzzing drones, and continuous displacement. Before the war, I used to live in the north with my two kids and husband. We had a normal, happy life. But we were forced to leave our home on the second day of the war. I carried my newborn Rose, only seven months old. I wrote this book because I believe mothers around the world will feel our pain; they carry the same love, dreams, and strength for their children. Here in Gaza, mothers pray their children will survive for the next day.”
Women on the Frontlines of Survival
UN Women confirms that women in Gaza are waging a relentless struggle to keep their families alive in conditions lacking even the most basic necessities.
At a press conference in Geneva last Tuesday, Sofia Kaltorp, the agency’s humanitarian affairs chief, shared her observations after returning from the Strip. Traveling from north to south Gaza, she witnessed a reality far harsher than images circulating online: cramped tents, overcrowded shelters, and homes reduced to rubble.
Kaltorp emphasized that the ceasefire has not restored normalcy. Fear continues to dominate life, and while bombardments have lessened, violence persists:
“Killing still lurks in the streets, amidst rubble and shelters. Women in Gaza have become the last line of defense for their children. They face hunger and fear simultaneously, trying to absorb the shocks and sorrows that accumulate day after day.
Mothers spend long hours searching for food, water, and medicine, while also shielding their children from cold nights, gunfire, and a growing sense of insecurity.”
United Nations statistics reveal that more than 57,000 women in Gaza are now the sole breadwinners after losing their husbands in the war. These women are attempting to rebuild their families under near-impossible conditions.
The hardships extend beyond poverty and lack of shelter. Many families live exposed to the harsh elements. Water seeps into temporary tents, leaving children shivering through cold nights. Winter’s approach intensifies the struggle, with mothers unable to provide warmth, blankets, or adequate protection.
Kaltorp recounted meeting one woman whose home had been completely destroyed. Every morning, she returns to the ruins to gather firewood, burning the remnants of doors that once protected her family, just to cook a simple meal for her children.
For mothers in Gaza, survival is measured day by day. Their courage is relentless, and their love unwavering, even as they endure violence, displacement, and the loss of loved ones. Each day is a fight not only to survive but to provide some sense of safety and hope for their children in a place where normal childhood no longer exists.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=69915
