Palestinians have suffered 6 months of hell and despair, but still we hope for peace

May 2025 – Over 6 months have passed since the most brutal escalation in Gaza’s history began in October 2024. As a humanitarian aid worker with Children’s Aid, I write these words from a place of deep grief and resilience.

The situation remains catastrophic. More than 37,000 Palestinians have now been killed, according to health authorities, with tens of thousands more injured and missing. Despite a growing international outcry, the destruction continues. Each day we lose more lives, more homes, and more of our past and future.

My house was one of the many lost in the relentless airstrikes. It wasn’t just bricks and walls — it held memories of my children’s first steps, our family celebrations, our life. The last time we stood there, we promised we would return. But we never did. Today, I long not for luxury or comfort but to sit once more among those broken walls, to touch the dusty shelves, and to find my children’s forgotten schoolbooks.

Six months of surviving, not living

Since October 2024, life in war-torn Gaza has become unrecognizable. We fled south when our neighborhood was destroyed, hoping for safety — only to find more bombing, more tents, more displacement. More than 1.9 million Palestinians are now displaced, most of them living in overcrowded shelters or makeshift camps without clean water, electricity, or proper sanitation.

The so-called “humanitarian zones” offer no protection. In April 2025, deadly strikes hit areas declared “safe,” killing dozens of women and children. Food is nearly impossible to secure — even humanitarian convoys have been targeted. Families go days without bread, and children cry from hunger every night in this deepening humanitarian crisis.

As I write this, Palestinians can still hear drones overhead and explosions in the distance. There is no silence in Gaza anymore — even the nights are loud with fear.”

We asked, When will it be enough?

When Al Ahli Hospital was bombed last year, we thought the world would stop this. Then came the siege of Al Shifa, the targeting of aid workers, and the death of 6-year-old Hind and her family in their car. In 2025, aid workers from international organizations have also been killed, including in the now-infamous World Central Kitchen convoy attack.

Each moment we survive, we carry the trauma of those who didn’t. We watch the world demand accountability — but we don’t see action. Occupied Palestine remains under fire, and the pain of displaced families grows deeper.

Still, we dream of peace

Despite everything, we still dream. Gaza’s official symbol is the phoenix — and I believe in that. I believe Gaza will rise again, though the devastation in 2025 is worse than anything I’ve seen in my lifetime. I’ve lived through multiple wars, but this is beyond comprehension.

Still, we are not giving up. We hold on to hope:

• Hope that our children can go back to school.

• Hope that we can rebuild our homes and our neighborhoods.

• Hope that one day, this war will end — and there will be no more war.

We want the world to know: Palestinians are not just victims. We are poets, engineers, musicians, and teachers. We are not defined by destruction — we are defined by our will to rebuild and our belief in justice.

Palestinians Need You — You Can Help

Today, in May 2025, Gaza needs urgent support. Children’s Aid and other organizations continue to deliver what little aid they can, risking their lives to do so.Please don’t look away. Share our stories. Raise your voice. And if you can, donate to the Palestine Emergency Appeal. Because if Gaza rises again, it will be because the world finally chose humanity over politics and peace over war.

Donate Now and stand with Children’s Aid.