In the heart of Gaza, where the dreams and hopes are often drowned by the echoes of war, among the torn neighborhoods, where homes have turned into wreckage and silence usually replaces the sounds of children’s laughter, there lives a little boy named Qusay.

Qusay is a 7-year-old boy, who was born to an extended family from Palestine-Gaza. But unfortunately, he was the only kid for Mahmoud 35 years old-The Father, and Ola 29 years old – The Mother, so he was spoiled and he got all the attention he wanted and even more, but he was always sad that he had no other siblings to spend the time with and play, like his cousins, so he became really close to his cousins that he almost felt like they are his brothers.

3 months after the War on Gaza started, he went with his parents and Grandmother to visit his mother’s family house as her father was very sick. The house was only 2 streets away from where he was living, all a sudden he heard a bombardment coming from his house’s side, he went running in the streets worried about his cousins, praying in tears that they are just alive. As he arrived few blocks away from his home, he saw the whole building falling apart and so much smoke that he couldn’t breathe and fainted. Few hours later, he wakes up in the hospital to find out that his cousins are no longer alive.

Qusay was shattered, torn, and heartbroken, and that made him very isolated and lost. He had to muddle through these feelings all by himself. And from this point forward, Qusay was no longer the spoiled kid, especially after his mother delivered his new baby-brother Jihad – 1 and a half years old, he had to become the little man who stands in long lines and fights aggressively to get his family water, meals, and anything that the displacement camps distributes.

When I first saw Qusay, he was fighting fiercely in line to get his family’s meal from the Hot-meals distribution point in his camp. He was very determined to get his meal disregarding the fun activities LIFE’s Psychosocial Team was presenting for other children only few steps away from where he was standing. I was trying to resolve a conflict between him and another boy, so I got him the food he needed to his family, and gently pulled him aside from the line to talk with him. After he got comfortable, he shared his story with me. I asked him why not joining the games and activities, he told me that the point of the game is to find a friend to enjoy it with, and I don’t think that any boy here can be my friend.  So I challenged him that he would find a friend by the end of the activities. He looked at me and smiled and he accepted my challenge.

The first day he joined the activities, we got him to draw where he sees himself right now. After seeing his drawings, we, as a team, realized that he needs immediate attention and care. We started by getting him to participate in all sorts of activities, and get a deeper view on what he likes most, then looking for other boys who share the same interests and pair him with them in other group games and activities to help him blend in, and we encouraged him to feel the team spirit, and as we were watching him participating in the group activities, we also found out that he has very good leader skills, and that he likes helping others, and doing that actually makes him happy and content.

By the last day of the activities, as soon as he sees LIFE’s Team coming, he would come running along with his group of friends, very excited, with more determination that sparks bright in his eyes that he will win with his team in todays activities.

Shortly, by the end of the day, he invited us to his tent to see his parents. The mother was very happy as she was telling us about the changes she noticed in Qusay’s behaviors, just within these numbered days. She was also sharing stories about how Qusay became a very active and responsible member of the family, only this time he does it with a smile and pride on his face, she also expressed her gratitude for bringing the smile, and excitement back to her little boy’s life.

Right before leaving the tent, I asked Qusay” What do you want to be in the future?”, he said “I want to be able to give other kids what they are missing, and help them find good friends like me”. He held my hand right before leaving, and looked at me with hope and told me ” I hope that other kids get the same chance I got to find friends, I do believe once they do that, the will stop fighting and beating each other in the streets, and we will all be happy in peace”.

Dareen is a Palestinian 8-year-old little girl, who grow up in a standard Gazan family that was haunted by so many ghosts. poverty, occupation, war, constant lack of livelihood needs, but for her, the worst ghost of all these, was domestic violence. The family suffered domestic violence for some time. 13 years, the same scene at dinner, where the mother was mistreated and beaten along with her children. Dareen lived 6 of those years watching what supposed to be her source of security, assaulting both her mother and siblings, which caused her to be withdrawn, isolated, and partially disconnected. Due to her isolation, and her preference of loneliness, her medical diagnosis of Diabetes was delayed, and it was challenging for some time to get her condition to be stable.

Years go by, her suffering becomes complicated, more loneliness, aggression, and isolation. In December 20^th of 2023 the war caused the family to displace from the North of Gaza, to Rafah to seek protection, and a safer shelter, staying in the displacement camps of Rafah and suffering all kinds of hardships. Few days later, the father decided to abandon the family and leave for good, leaving the Mother (Siham -32 years old) in charge of the family, carrying the responsibility of 5 children: Rida -6 years, Ghazal -14 years, Jamal -11 years, Abdelrahman -15 years, and Dareen -8 years. Being a separated mother and run a family in the worst times of the war was a very difficult thing to do.

Through an exclusive interview with Siham –The Mother-, she told us that having Dareen as the most special need member of the family was challenging especially during the war, finding mates to play with, and games that suits her medical condition was hard. And Siham said ” The Diabetes, made it harder for her to participate in the normal children activates. However, when LIFE Psychosocial Support team showed up at our camp, they have shown her the attention she needs, they even encouraged her to participate in the group games and activates with other kids.”

She also added ” As I was watching her participating, it was highlighted to my attention that my little girl likes group activates even more, and I found out that Dareen is a very competitive spirit, and she was very excited sharing her winning stories in the games she played during the activates, especially the game of Flying Plates, where she won 2 times in a row, and she was always looking forward to the next day LIFE’s team coming again”. Siham told us that it is not only Dareen, but also her other children showed a noticeable ability to express their emotions, especially after the second and third sessions, and also an obvious decrease in the signs of anxiety and stress, they were less scared, less worried, and the psychical support activities had a direct effect on them.

Siham was smiling as she was telling us how happy she was after finally seeing her daughter excited about something, especially after all the hardships they went through as a family, and she can’t wait to see Dareen in her next adventure.

In the heart of one of Gaza’s overcrowded displacement camps, 11-year-old Anas and his family struggle daily to survive the food shortages and the dry living conditions. Displaced from their home due to the ongoing War, after losing their father. Anas’s mother could not provide regular meals for her children.
Anas’s father was a shopkeeper, lost his livelihood when his store was destroyed. With no income and limited humanitarian aid, the family often skipped meals or survived on scraps. And after losing his father, life became pretty much unbearable. Anas, who was once an energetic boy, grew weak and struggled to focus. And as the oldest boy, he needed to persevere every day to secure his family their daily needs of water and food, and despite his daily struggle to do that, he couldn’t successfully get a meal every day. Rana –his mother says, ” We would go days without proper food. Seeing my children hungry broke my heart, but we had no choice.”
When the hot-meal distribution program reached their camp, everything changed. Anas’s family received nutritious, freshly cooked meals daily, rice, lentils, and fresh vegetables. The relief was immediate. Anas started to gradually regain his strength and could play with other children again.
This project did more than fill stomachs; it restored dignity, kindled hope, and whispered to families like Anas’s: You are seen. You matter. As we look ahead, we carry their gratitude in our hearts as a fuel to keep serving, keep fighting, and keep believing in a future where no child goes to bed hungry.

Seven-year-old Malek had always loved helping his mother prepare lunch at home. A home that is long gone. After his family was forced to escape their house in the north of Gaza due to the constant bombardment in their neighborhood, they found shelter in one of the many crowded displacement camps with very little access to food, water, or privacy. Days passed with only dry bread and canned food, and Malek began to withdraw, quiet, anxious, and often in tears, tears of hunger.

Then came the hot meal. Through the Hot-Meal Distribution Relief Project that is funded by LIFE ONG, Malik and his family received their first warm, home-cooked meal in over a week. rice, pasta, soups, and meals with fresh vegetables. “Mama, it smells like home,” he whispered with a happy smile as he tasted the food.

That small moment brought back a piece of Malik’s lost childhood. A sense of safety, warmth, and care. Since then, He eagerly awaits near the food distribution line every day, greeting volunteers with a wave and a spark in his eyes.

For Malik and hundreds like him, this project is more than just a meal or food. It’s dignity, hope, and a reminder that they are not forgotten.