Children in Gaza reveal dreams in heartbreaking drawings ahead of ceasefire

One has hopes of being a globe-trotting famous writer. Another wants to be a doctor. A third longs for pizza and ice cream.

These are the heart-breaking dreams drawn by children in war-torn Gaza. They were penned by kids helped by charity Save the Children’s psychosocial support programme in the famine-stricken enclave. It is a place where children can play, offering a space to escape the devastating reality of conflict.

The pictures, published by the Mirror, offer a window into the hopes and dreams of Palestinian children. It comes as Israel and Hamas have agreed to the "first phase" of US President Donald Trump's peace plan to pause fighting and release at least some hostages and prisoners.

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Under the plan, Hamas will release all 20 living hostages in the coming days in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, while the Israeli military will begin a withdrawal from the majority of Gaza. With long-term peace on the horizon, the dreams drawn by the children capture a sense of what they might now have the opportunity to achieve.

Among the images, a picture of a girl dreaming about food, travel and graduation. It shows the girl with thought bubbles, one showing a plane in the sky, another with food including a pizza slice, ice cream, burger and an egg. Another of the bubbles features a mortar board and a graduation diploma.

Meanwhile, one shows what appears to be money, suggesting the child has ambitions of making their fortune in business. A second drawing shows a woman, bag in hand, looking up at a plane in the sky beside the words: “My dream is to travel and becom[e] a famous writer.”

And a third poignant image shows a bearded man sitting amid rubble also dreaming about travel. A dream bubble depicts one figure graduating and a second as a doctor with a stethoscope.

However, another drawing by a child lays bare the horrifying reality of the conflict. It shows a destroyed playground – broken swings, a damaged slide and what appears to be a trampoline split in two. Alongside it, smoke billows from a building, while debris is scattered around.

Ahmad Alhendawi, Regional Director for Save the Children in the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe, said: “These drawings represent children's lived experiences in Gaza, portraying both their aspirations and their daily realities. They show what children in Gaza wish for — things all children have the right to, but which these children are denied: plates of food, an education, safety, and a future.

"It’s been two years since these children had their childhoods ripped away. These two years will haunt us all with our collective failure to protect these children and their futures.”

This month marked two years since the Hamas-led October 7 attack on Israel in 2023, which killed about 1,200 people, sparked the war. Over 67,000 Palestinians have been killed since by Israel’s offensive, according to Gaza ministry of health figures.

To support Save the Children's new Let Children Live campaign, please visit: https://letchildrenlive.org/