Gaza's Children Share the Future They Want : Shared by Tom McDermott

'I Dream of a Safe Life': Gaza's Children Share the Future They Want

Jonathan Crickx, UNICEF Chief of Communication, 

UNICEF Press Release / UN News 24 February 2026 

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Summary

UNICEF's "The Gaza We Want" initiative has given voice to over 11,000 children aged 5 to 18 across all five governorates of Gaza — including children with disabilities — asking them to share their vision for recovery and reconstruction through drawings, poems, models made from rubble, murals, and structured surveys. In total, 1,603 children completed a questionnaire and at least 11,000 participated in creative activities. 

No child was asked to re-live violence; instead, they were asked to "imagine dignity." Their priorities were strikingly consistent across age groups and geography: safety and shelter first, along with psychological first aid; then permanent homes, real schools with walls, roofs, running water, libraries, and playgrounds — not tents hosting displaced families; then calm, clean hospitals with mental health support; and finally parks, beaches, sports fields, and cultural centres. 

Children also outlined a phased reconstruction timeline, ending with universities, industries, and places of remembrance. UNICEF's Jonathan Crickx, briefing journalists in Geneva, said that when thousands of children independently draw the same things — trees, schools, hospitals, clean streets — "that is not coincidence. It is a direct appeal to the world." Since the ceasefire began in October 2025, more than 135 children have still been reported killed in Gaza.

Quotes

"Missing school affected my learning a lot. Education matters for my future, so I dream of a safe life — having a secure home, my own room, and a good school where I can learn and grow." — Hala, age 15, UNICEF Temporary Learning Centre, Deir El Balah

"Life has been so difficult, no child should ever have to live through this. The Gaza I want is a beautiful place with hospitals, schools, and safe buildings. I was injured in the war and it affected me a lot. Whenever I hear an airstrike, I get scared. But during the Gaza We Want activity, I felt so much better in my head." — Mayar, age 14, Gaza

"These are not extraordinary demands. They are the fundamentals of childhood. A recovery that ignores children's voices will fail them — and fail Gaza." — Jonathan Crickx, UNICEF Chief of Communication, State of Palestine