The relentless conflict in the Gaza Strip is forcing a catastrophic number of Palestinian children to abandon their education and take on the crippling role of family breadwinners. With the enclave’s economy devastated and tens of thousands of parents killed, children as young as eight are now toiling in the streets simply to ensure their families survive.
Fifteen-year-old Mohammed Ashour, carrying heavy thermoses of coffee through the scarred streets of Gaza City, epitomizes this crushing burden. Since his father was killed in the war, Mohammed has been forced to leave school to support his mother and siblings.
“This burden isn’t mine to carry,” the teenager told Al Jazeera, his voice reflecting exhaustion. “This work—carrying thermoses, cups, going back and forth? It’s too much. I’m exhausted, but I have to do it to support my siblings.”
Mohammed is one of a rapidly growing number of Gaza’s children shouldering adult responsibilities. With at least 39,000 children losing one or both parents in the conflict, and a staggering 79.1% unemployment rate crippling the adult workforce, minors are becoming the default providers.
His mother, Atad Ashour, speaks of the desperate choices facing their family. “After his father was killed, we were left with no income at all,” she explained. “He’s still a child, but he’s carrying a responsibility that isn’t his. The circumstances pushed us into this.”
Aid agencies warn that children are bearing the heaviest brunt of the protracted humanitarian crisis. UNICEF spokesperson Tess Ingram noted a spike in what the agency calls “negative coping mechanisms.” This includes children scavenging through waste for scrap metal or firewood to sell, and others turning to street vending, such as selling coffee.
Speaking from the occupied West Bank, Rachel Cummings, Gaza Humanitarian Director for Save the Children, described a complete breakdown of the family structure. The war has made children extremely vulnerable, pushing them into roles as caregivers for younger siblings or older relatives. “This very precarious situation is really taking its toll,” she stated.
The statistics paint a grim picture: more than 660,000 children are out of formal education, according to agency reports. Furthermore, Save the Children estimates that 132,000 minors are at high risk of acute malnutrition due to the lack of food security.
Humanitarian organizations are attempting to counteract this surge in child labor by distributing cash assistance to families. They are also working to educate communities on the risks of exploitation and helping adults resume employment, though the scale of the devastation makes progress slow.
Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary emphasized the massive emotional toll. Children were meant to be in schools and playgrounds, she said, not out in the streets performing tasks “that they were not supposed to be doing.”
As the long working day ends and Mohammed walks home, he passes by a school building, a place that now exists only in his memory. “If my father were alive, you would find me at home going to school,” he reflected, his words capturing the stolen childhoods of an entire generation.
