‘My leg went to heaven before me’: Israeli war extinguishes Gaza childhoods
After more than two years of a genocidal war, wounded and traumatised Palestinian children stare at an uncertain future.

After more than two years of a genocidal war, wounded and traumatised Palestinian children stare at an uncertain future.

![Displaced Palestinian mother, Yasmine Al-Aajouri, helps her seven-year-old daughter Toulin Al-Hindi with her homework inside their tent near the Israeli-designated "yellow line", in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip on Jan. 6, 2026. [Mahmoud Issa/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/image-1768247697.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)






![Children, who were released after being kidnapped last month, sit in a hall upon their arrival at the Niger State Government House in Minna on Dec. 22, 2025. Some 130 Nigerian Catholic school pupils were handed over to state authorities on December 22, 2025, a day after the government said it had secured their release a month after one of the country's worst mass abductions. Kidnappings for ransom are a common way for armed groups to make quick cash in the conflict-hit west African nation of some 230 million, but a spate of attacks in November put an uncomfortable international spotlight on Nigeria's grim security situation. [ Audu Abba Kurama/AFP]](/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/image-1766433183.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
Sentencing caps yearlong investigation into abuse, disappearance of four children in Guayaquil amid crime crackdown.

Sheltered under a worn-out, nylon tent and four blankets, 29-day-old Saeed could not survive winter in Gaza.
Winter cold ‘becomes lethal’ as Israel restricts entry of tents, blankets and other shelter supplies to ravaged enclave.

Mourners crowded the streets of Tuqu in the occupied West Bank to say goodbye to 16-year-old Ammar Sabah.
Gang leaders have found a new way to carry out attacks on rivals – using children they consider ‘disposable’.

Children are being recruited by gangs in Sweden to carry out murders, move weapons, and set off grenades.
Orban’s government has been rocked by several child-abuse scandals in recent years.

The Danish government has announced a new plan to restrict the use of social media for anyone under the age of 15.

Fault Lines travels to Iran to investigate the human cost of Israel’s attacks and the risk of another war.
Court filings indicate that several children were held for up to 168 days, far surpassing the 20-day limit on custody.