In Gaza, entire generations have been wiped out by Israel since it launched its genocidal war in Gaza two years ago, compounding the acute trauma of the already long-suffering Palestinian civilian population in the enclave.
More than 39,000 children in Gaza have lost one or both of their parents, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics announced in April. Among them are about 17,000 children who have been deprived of both parents since October 2023, according to the bureau.
In the ruins of Gaza City, one couple is now raising 36 grandchildren whose parents were killed by Israel. They now face the myriad of daily challenges of looking after and protecting them.
The Aliwa family is among those who lost generations. Since their five sons were all killed during Israel’s two-year assault on Gaza, Hamed and Rida Aliwa are raising the orphaned grandchildren.
Palestinian couple in Gaza step in to raise 36 orphaned grandchildren [Screengrab/Al Jazeera]
“These children need care,” 60-year-old Rida told Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum in Gaza City. “They need food, water and special attention. It’s a huge responsibility that brings me immense stress.”
Each of these children has experienced the pain and suffering of Israel’s two-year war on Gaza; they have learned to share a single loaf of bread and fall asleep to the sound of explosions.
Every morning, Hamed and Rida get up and face the day, not for themselves, but for those who now call them mother and father.
Rida is unable to hide the grief of losing her sons, “I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss them. I miss them deeply. My heart aches for them. My sons meant everything to me — they were the reason I kept going. Now, I’m taking care of their injured children.”
At least 20,000 children are among the dead — one child killed every hour for the past 24 months. UNICEF estimated that 3,000 to 4,000 children in Gaza have lost one or more limbs
Every day for the Aliwas is a wrenching struggle to find food, to fetch clean water and to keep the little ones safe.
“The basic elements of life are almost impossible to find,” Hamed Aliwa told Al Jazeera.
They have no guarantees, no permanent shelter, no certainty of what perils tomorrow will bring.
A United States-brokered ceasefire took effect in Gaza on October 10. Since the truce began, about 473,000 people have returned to northern Gaza, where they face widespread property destruction and critical shortages of necessities, including food and water, according to the United Nations.
“We live under the constant sound of drones that keep us awake all night, and we are scared that the war could start again,” Hamed said.
