As Gaza war ends, children’s artwork depicts two years living under bombardment

From shattered playgrounds to sketches of lost dreams, children in Gaza are telling the story of war with crayons and paper — and their message is as haunting as it is human.

On World Mental Health Day, Save the Children released a series of drawings made by children in Gaza who have spent two years living under bombardment. The artwork, created as part of the group’s psychosocial support program, reveals a landscape of trauma and hope: missiles over homes, warplanes above playgrounds, and amid the ruins, a child dreaming of becoming a doctor.

In other pictures, children imagined a life far removed from the rubble — a life filled with books, flowers, food, and freedom. There are smiling faces, full plates, and skies unscarred by smoke.

Children produced art illustrating the relentless bombardment they have lived through in Gaza, with sketches showing missiles destroying homes, warplanes flying above playgrounds and neighborhoods, life in displacement, and a parent’s incredible grief.

“These drawings represent children’s lived experiences in Gaza,” said Ahmad Alhendawi, Save the Children’s regional director for the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe. “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.”

The exhibit arrives as Gaza’s war enters its third year — a grim milestone marked by unimaginable loss. More than 20,000 children have been killed since October 2023, an average of more than one every hour. And while bombs destroy buildings, hunger and fear are eroding what remains of childhood.

In August, famine was officially declared in Gaza City and is expected to spread across the Strip. Humanitarian agencies estimate that 132,000 children under age five are now at risk of dying from acute malnutrition.

Save the Children reports that the psychological toll is staggering. Parents say their sons and daughters can no longer imagine a future without war. Children exhibit signs of trauma far beyond what aid workers saw in earlier conflicts — panic attacks, sleeplessness, aggression, regression, and the eerie silence of those who have stopped speaking altogether.

“It’s been two years since these children had their childhoods ripped away,” Alhendawi said. “These two years will haunt us all with our collective failure to protect these children and their futures. The only way to stop this is for an immediate and definitive ceasefire and unfettered access to life-saving aid.”

Save the Children has worked in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories for more than 30 years, providing health care, education, and mental health support. Its child-friendly spaces offer what might be the most precious resource left in Gaza — a few moments of safety.

Drawing is a key part of the charity’s therapy programs, helping children express what they cannot yet say. In group sessions, the act of putting pencil to paper becomes both an outlet and a lifeline — a way to reclaim control, share feelings, and recognize that others feel the same pain.

In Gaza today, a child’s sketch can be more than a picture — it is testimony. And though the paper may be thin, the message is thick with truth: that even under the shadow of war, children still dream of a future worth saving.