For the past two years, the world has watched Gaza’s children endure unimaginable horrors through headlines and reports. We’ve heard about their injuries, the loss of loved ones, and too often, their deaths. But amid all this coverage, one critical perspective has been missing: the voices of the children themselves.
This is why UNICEF launched The Gaza We Want report, a powerful initiative focused on listening directly to children in Gaza - not only to understand what they have lived through, but to amplify their hopes and their vision for the future they want to see.
Every child deserves to be heard
Voices from Gaza: Children’s hopes for the future
The Gaza We Want brings children’s perspectives to the centre of the conversation, from their thoughts on recovery to what rebuilding should look like across the Gaza Strip. By documenting what matters most to children, the report places child‑centred recovery at the heart of the humanitarian response and reinforces a simple truth: children have the right to take part in decisions that affect their lives.
UNICEF and its partners worked with children aged 5 to 18 across Gaza, including children with disabilities. More than 1,500 children shared their views through a structured questionnaire, while over 11,000 children took part through creative activities such as drawing, writing and storytelling.
Every activity was designed to be safe and voluntary, giving children space to express themselves and to think about hope beyond the conflict.
What recovery and survival look like to children
Through The Gaza We Want, children in Gaza share not only what they have lost, but what they believe must come next.
First, children want real schools, not tents. Across Gaza, many schools are being used as shelters for displaced families amid ongoing violence. Yet, for children, school represents normality, stability and possibility. Without safe spaces with desks, toilets, running water, libraries and playgrounds, education, and the future it offers, feels increasingly out of reach.
Second, children described hospitals that should be calm, clean and safe, not places filled with fear. Again and again, they spoke about the need for mental health support alongside physical care, as many know that trauma does not end when the bombing stops.
Third was shelter and safety. For many children, the deepest wish is simple: to sleep through the night, and to walk to school without fear. Yet even since the start of the ceasefire on 10 October 2025, more than 135 children have been reported killed in the Gaza Strip.
Last, children were clear that play is not a luxury. Younger children, in particular, spoke about the need for safe places to play, including public parks and green spaces, sports facilities, and accessible spaces for children with disabilities. Through play, children can reclaim what the conflict has stolen from them: their sense of childhoods.
"Once, I looked up at the sky and spoke to a star about what I want. I told it, ‘I dream of living in peace and safety. Beautiful, towering buildings from which I can see my city, and complexes that have everything I need: a school, or a library for reading and gaining knowledge, a swimming pool and restaurants for entertainment, electricity to light up the whole area, and wide streets and neighbourhoods."
A blueprint for a better future
Children in Gaza went beyond sharing their dreams and wishes for The Gaza We Want initiative; they laid out clear timelines and set priorities for the adults responsible for rebuilding Gaza.
They told UNICEF what’s important to them:
- First: safety, shelter, learning spaces and psychological first aid
- Then: permanent homes, schools, parks and clinics
- Later: universities, industries, cultural centres and places for remembrance
This recovery roadmap is shaped by children who have lived through loss and heartbreak, yet still hope for a better future. Listening to them is not a choice, it is the bare minimum for any recovery effort that aims to be meaningful and empowering for every child.
The future children in Gaza envision is not abstract. It is achievable, but only if their voices are heard and their priorities guide the work ahead, to build the Gaza they have every right to grow up in.
Children of Gaza Crisis
The ceasefire brings hope for children in Gaza, but the needs remain urgent. Help us scale up our response.
Related articles
Stay up-to-date on UNICEF's work in Australia and around the world
