Drawing Gaza when your childhood has been shaped by fear and violence
Drawing Gaza:
A childhood shaped
by fear and violence
Children in Gaza are drawing the world around them: displacement, destruction, loss and memories of a childhood interrupted by three years of Israel's military offensive. Their drawings tell stories that words alone cannot.
What happens when a child's world becomes a place of constant fear?
The queue to collect food. Rain pouring through the tent. A tank bulldozing buildings. The omnipresent quadcopter. Friends they once played with.
Dina, Rahaf, Motassem and other children from Gaza quietly explain the meaning of their drawings. But the stories they tell are anything but quiet.
Created during group psychosocial sessions organised by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Gaza City, these drawings recount what children see, feel and remember.
Explore the illustrations and the experiences behind them, alongside what MSF mental health teams are witnessing in Gaza.
Drawings created in Gaza City, August 2026. Select any illustration to enlarge it.
A generation growing up without safety.
Three years of Israeli military offensive have devastated the mental health of children in Gaza.
Many have lost their homes, schools, family members and friends. Repeated displacement and catastrophic living conditions have taken away the spaces where children should be able to play without fear.
For some younger children, life before the war is something they have never experienced.
"Many don't know what 'home' means. The tent has become their home."Mahmoud Al-Balbisi
MSF mental health counsellor
Longing for the life they remember.
Dina, nine, remembers being forced to leave her home with her family.
Her father was injured when a truck ran over his foot while he was collecting aid. Dina helped push him in a wheelchair as the family fled.
What Dina wishes for is simple: to return to the people and the life she knew before the war.
"That we go back to how things were before. My grandma and grandpa."Dina, 9
The memories that remain.
Rahaf, eleven, describes seeing tanks firing from her window. She calls for her mother to come inside because she fears for her family's safety.
She also remembers her cousin, who was killed, and the time they spent playing together.
"My girl cousin was killed. I can't forget her. I used to play with her all the time."Rahaf, 11
"Across Gaza, we are seeing overwhelming levels of grief, anxiety, sleep disorders, and psychological distress among both adults and children."Franz Luef — MSF head of mission for Palestine
When war becomes part of play.
For children living through prolonged violence, the effects become visible in everyday behaviour.
MSF counsellors have observed children imitating aid distributions, describing attacks, or playing among the rubble of destroyed buildings.
Activities that should reflect an ordinary childhood increasingly mirror the conditions children are forced to live through.
Mental health teams also report increasing anxiety, fear, screaming, aggressive behaviour, nail-biting and involuntary urination.
Creating space to express feelings.
At MSF's Zaytoun clinic in Gaza City, counsellors provide psychosocial support through drawing, stories, music and games.
These activities give children opportunities to express themselves and engage in play in an environment where safe spaces have become severely limited.
In follow-up sessions, counsellors help children understand their emotions and reconnect with aspects of life before the war.
"We try to remind the children of their humanity and that they are children."Mahmoud Al-Balbisi
MSF mental health counsellor
The effects of war go beyond what is visible.
Children in Gaza are living with repeated displacement, loss, insecurity and catastrophic living conditions.
Prolonged violence affects how children feel, sleep, behave and understand safety. Their psychological needs are enormous, yet opportunities to recover remain limited.
Loss of loved ones and constant insecurity.
Sleep problems and psychological distress.
Screaming, aggression and nail-biting.
Displacement and few spaces for children to recover.
People need urgent mental health and psychosocial support, according to WHO.
Individual mental health consultations provided by MSF between late 2023 and September 2026.
People supported through MSF group activities during the same period.
Source: MSF October 2026 article. Figures reflect the reporting period stated.
Helping children reconnect with childhood.
MSF teams provide individual mental health consultations, psychosocial and psychoeducational group activities, and recreational activities for children and adolescents.
Drawing and storytelling
Activities create opportunities for children to express their experiences, thoughts and feelings.
Music and games
Counsellors use play and group activities to give children space to engage with others.
Understanding safety
Activities such as "My body is my kingdom" help children recognise their right to safety and bodily protection.
Children in Gaza need safety, care and a chance to recover.
After three years of violence and loss, children are not simply carrying memories of war. Their experiences have reshaped how they understand safety and childhood itself. Mental health care is essential, but the services and safe spaces they need remain severely limited.