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Dreams amid the rubble: Gaza’s women speak of homes, loss and hungry children

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In Gaza City, families living in tents reveal a shared, grim reality.

Many have been forced to flee the fighting dozens of times. Most find themselves homeless and hungry while facing an uncertain future.

Khadija Manoun and her daughter in the space she uses as a kitchen inside a destroyed building.

Khadija Manoun: Kitchen of life’s leftovers

Khadija Manoun said she and her family have moved more than 20 times, from Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip to a destroyed building in western Gaza, in search of shelter. She had owned a new fully furnished house, which she had built with a bank loan.

“I furnished my house well, with tiles and electrical appliances,” she said. “It had only been three years since I had the house. Then the war came and everything was lost.”

Today, everything has changed, Ms. Manoun said. Her spacious, fully equipped kitchen is now just a corner in the rubble, where a solitary soap dish borrowed from a neighbour sits. Metal utensils have been replaced with plastic tea containers to serve 10 people.

The bathroom was reduced to a corner covered with pieces of cloth that had been blankets. Her dressing room is now home to tattered suitcases.

“This is now my closet where I put everything,” she said. “I had a bedroom that had cost me 10,000 shekels.”

Her family sleeps on simple mattresses. Clean drinking water is a luxury that Khadija chases after, running between trucks, often returning with empty containers.

Amid all this, she sometimes reminisces, scrolling through photos on her mobile phone of her old home and the meals they used to eat.

Badriya Barrawi, a displaced person in Gaza, is living among the ruins of destroyed buildings.

Badriya Barawi: Exhausted by hunger

In her modest tent on the beach west of Gaza City, Badriya Barawi, from Beit Lahia, sits, arranging what remains of her life. Tears stream from her eyes.

“Have mercy on us,” she said. “We are fed up and exhausted, mentally and physically. We can’t bear it any longer. How long will this life go on?”

She says her children are crying from the heat and hunger.

“We haven’t had bread for three days. This morning, I fed the children hummus, but is that enough for their stomachs?” said Ms. Barawi, who suffers from high blood pressure and diabetes.

She said she collapses daily from a lack of food.

Hiyam Zayed is displaced from Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip.

Hiyam Zayed: Trampled garden of dreams

In a nearby tent, Hiyam Zayed and her eight daughters eat lentil soup without bread. Describing her former home, she said there were six rooms and a garden.

“I was happy in my home,” she said. “My daughters and I used to have fun there. They played on the roof or inside the rooms. We had a beautiful garden in front of the house, and we grew plants and ate its produce and raised chickens. My daughters were very happy. We fed them the best food and dressed them in the best clothes.”

She also said she used to have a washing machine, a fully equipped kitchen and a refrigerator “full of goodies”.

Now, everything is gone.

“No food, no washing machine, no feelings: we’ve become depressed,” she added.

“My daughters wear the worst clothes. I can’t find a way to bathe them. I used to turn on the water tap at home and water would run for drinking or bathing. Now, we live in a tent in the sand. I light a fire to cook after I used to have gas. I borrow cooking utensils.”

“How are we to blame for what happened, and who bears responsibility?” Ms. Zayed asked. “What is my fault and my children’s fault when we are displaced from one place to another and they die of hunger?”

Hiyam’s daughters eating a lunch of lentil soup, without bread, where they live, inside a destroyed building.

Mass displacement

According to UN reports, more than two million Palestinians –the population of Gaza – live in about 15 per cent of the Strip’s area after the war caused widespread destruction of infrastructure and homes.

International organizations have warned that the continuation of the conflict threatens to have “catastrophic consequences” in the near term.

That includes a serious impact on children’s mental and physical health, the spread of disease and the disintegration of social structures.

This amid the absence of any clear path towards a political or humanitarian solution.

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Smurf your voice: Global campaign urges everyone to speak up for a better future

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Launched in June, the eight-week digital campaign draws on the enduring popularity of the beloved Smurfs to encourage young people – along with their parents and caregivers – to raise their voices on issues that matter to them.

The initiative is part of the UN’s ActNow effort for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and aims to empower individuals, especially children, to speak out and take action in their communities.

Voices for change

Featuring Rihanna, Hannah Waddingham, Billie Lourd and Amy Sedaris – who voice various characters in an upcoming Smurfs film – the campaign includes vibrant public service announcements (PSAs) and colourful social media cards.

“The Smurfs know the importance of speaking up and speaking out because everyone, every child, has the right to be heard,” said Hannah Waddingham, who voices Jezebeth in the movie.

“The power to create change is already inside you. You just have to act,” added Billie Lourd (Worry Smurf).

Amy Sedaris (Jaunty) summed it up simply: “It’s easy if you follow the Smurfs’ blueprint. Small actions can add up to make a big difference.”

The videos, produced in multiple formats, direct viewers to a dedicated “Speak Up with the Smurfs” section on the ActNow platform, which offers child-friendly tools and resources.

Join the Smurfs and speak up for a better world! | UN ActNow and UNICEF

Smurfing it up

To smurf things up a bit – campaign invites everyone to “smurf their voice” and help smurf a brighter future, one action at a time. Whether you’re five or fifty-five, there’s always a way to smurf positive change.

In Smurf-speak, “smurf” can mean just about anything – noun, verb, or adjective – but the message here is clear: smurf your voice, smurf your rights, smurf the future.

UNICEF’s involvement centres on ensuring the message reaches children everywhere – and that they are equipped to participate meaningfully in decisions affecting their lives.

Global rollout

The campaign is being promoted across Paramount Global’s platforms – including CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, BET, Comedy Central, streaming services like Paramount+ and Pluto TV, and the free-to-air network Net 10 in Australia.

Smurf-themed content will also light up Times Square in New York City and appear in markets across Europe, Latin America and Asia.

Content is available in over a dozen languages, including Arabic, French, Spanish, Hindi, Kiswahili, and Japanese, to ensure broad accessibility.

About the Smurfs

First introduced in 1958, the Smurfs are small blue fictional characters known for their teamwork, mischief, and unique way of speaking.

Generations of children (like this author and his little ones) have followed their adventures, and their continued appeal has made them ideal messengers for values like cooperation, kindness and now, global citizenship.

By rallying a new generation to speak up – or smurf up – the campaign hopes to inspire meaningful, lasting change for children (and adults) everywhere.

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World News in Brief: ‘Indifference and impunity’ in Sudan, ICC judges speak out against sanctions, respiratory diseases overlooked in Europe

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Tom Fletcher noted that over 30 million people require humanitarian assistance. Moreover, with famine declared in multiple places and over 14.6 million people displaced, Sudan represents the largest humanitarian crisis in the world.

“Again and again, the international community has said that we will protect the people of Sudan. The people of Sudan should ask us if, when and how we will start to deliver on that promise,” the relief chief said.

When will the international community fully fund aid efforts in Sudan?

When will accountability for the violence in Sudan happen?

He called on the international community to stop acting with ‘indifference and impunity’ towards Sudan,

Health system ‘smashed to pieces’

Since the conflict in Sudan broke out in April 2022, civilian infrastructure across the country has been damaged or destroyed, including health facilities and water and sanitation systems. 

The health system in particular has been “smashed to pieces,” according to Mr. Fletcher, leading to increasingly dire measles and cholera outbreaks.

The cholera outbreak, which began in July 2024 and is now confirmed in 13 of Sudan’s 18 states, has infected more than 74,000 people in total and killed 1,826.

“I have seen first-hand the devastation caused by the cholera outbreak in Khartoum, where the health system has been devastated by conflict and is struggling to cope with the tremendous demand on health facilities,” Dr. Shible Sahbni, WHO representative in Sudan.

The World Health Organization (WHO), in partnership with the Sudanese Ministry of Health, is launching a 10-day cholera vaccination campaign in Khartoum State.

The campaign will aim to reach 2.6 million people in an effort to contain the cholera outbreak in the state.

“The vaccines will help stop cholera in its tracks as we strengthen other response interventions,” said Dr. Sahbni.

 

ICC judges express support for colleagues sanctioned by US

Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) expressed solidarity with their colleagues who have recently been sanctioned by the United States Government, describing the move as “coercive measures aimed at undermining the independence of the judiciary.”

“The Judges stand united and will continue to exercise their functions independently, impartially and conscientiously, fulfilling the demands of the rule of law,” they said in a statement on Thursday.

The US announced sanctions on 6 June against four judges from Benin, Peru, Slovenia and Uganda. The justices are currently overseeing a 2020 case which alleges war crimes in Afghanistan committed by the US and Afghan armies and the 2024 ICC arrest warrants issued for sitting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

The International Court of Justice

The UN Human Rights Chief Volter Türk previously said that he was “deeply disturbed” by these sanctions, arguing that they corroded international governance and justice.

No improper influence

The ICC is an independent judicial body established under the Rome Statute, adopted in 1998. Although not part of the United Nations, the ICC works closely with it under a cooperative framework.

In the statement, the Judges said that they decide, and will continue to decide, cases based on facts and without regard to threats, restrictions or improper influence issued “from any quarter or for any reason.”

“The Judges reaffirm that they are equal in the performance of their functions and that they will always uphold the principle of equality before the law.”

Over 80 Million Europeans suffering from overlooked chronic respiratory diseases

Chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma are vastly underestimated, underdiagnosed and poorly managed in Europe – affecting 80 million people and costing $21 billion a year, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.

A new report by WHO Europe and the European Respiratory Society highlights how smoking and air pollution are driving the growing crisis.

“We take 22,000 breaths a day, yet respiratory health remains one of the most neglected areas in global health,” said Professor Silke Ryan, President of the European Respiratory Society.

6th leading cause of death

Data analysis shows that chronic respiratory illnesses are the sixth leading cause of death in Europe. They are often misdiagnosed owing to weak diagnostic systems, limited training and inadequate health data.

Although effective treatments are available, asthma-related deaths remain high among young people, while chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is responsible for eight in 10 respiratory disease deaths.

As preparations begin for the 2025 UN High-Level Meeting on non-communicable diseases, WHO Europe urged governments to prioritize chronic respiratory disease, set measurable targets and tackle root causes like tobacco and air pollution.

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‘We are still waiting for our loved ones’: Families of the abducted speak out

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Each called for justice under international law and for perpetrators to be held accountable.

Sung-Eui Lee, daughter of a South Korean man abducted by North Korean forces during the Korean War, and Ruby Chen, father of an Israeli soldier taken by Hamas during the 7 October 2023 attacks on Israel, spoke in the Security Council.

Together they called for resolution 2474 to be upheld, which affirms the right of families to know the fate of missing relatives in armed conflict.

75-year-long wait

“For 75 years, I’ve been waiting for my father to come back,” said Ms. Lee, who was just 18 months old when her father, prosecutor Jong-Ryong Lee, was forcibly taken to North Korea.

“We still do not know where he is, whether he is alive or dead. This is the first and the largest case of enforced disappearance, and it remains unresolved.”

This is an ongoing crime
– Sung-Eui Lee, daughter of Jong Ryong Lee

Representing the Korean War Abductees Family Union, she described decades of effort to document the abductions and press for answers, efforts often met with silence from Pyongyang.  

An ongoing crime

“In spite of all the clear evidence including the living witnesses like us, the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – as North Korea is formally known) has never admitted their abduction crime. This is an ongoing crime, the first and the largest case of enforced disappearance,” Ms. Lee said.

She urged the international community to hold North Korea accountable, including by referring the case to the International Criminal Court (ICC), and to support the repatriation or identification of the remains of the nearly 100,000 others missing.

“This is an ongoing crime,” she said. “If this case was properly resolved…subsequent kidnapping crimes in Japan, Thailand, Romania – could have been prevented.”

Not knowing

Speaking next, Ruby Chen spoke of the pain of not knowing the fate of his son, Itay Chen – a joint US-German-Israeli national – after being captured by Hamas.

The 19-year-old soldier was stationed near the Gaza border when he and his tank crew were attacked and taken on 7 October 2023.

For 587 days, we have waited
– Ruby Chen, father of Itay Chen

“For 587 days, we have waited,” Mr. Chen said.

“In March, the Israeli military told us Itay likely did not survive. But Hamas refuses to confirm and refuses to return him – even in death.”

He described the refusal to acknowledge or release the bodies of deceased hostages as a form of “slow psychological torture,” not only for his family but for dozens of others.

Families deserve closure

“What kind of human beings take deceased people and use them as negotiation chips,” he said, “Who denies the deceased the last basic human dignity that they deserve?”

Mr. Chen called for the appointment of a dedicated UN special representative or envoy for hostage affairs and address the broad range violations and harms associated with hostage taking.

“There must be consequences,” Chen said. “This isn’t just a political issue – it’s a humanitarian one. Families deserve closure. Hostage-taking must become a liability, not a strategic asset.”

A wide view of the Security Council meeting.

Resolution 2474

The testimonies were delivered during a Security Council session dedicated to missing persons in armed conflict.

Resolution 2474, adopted unanimously in 2019, obliges all parties in conflict to take all appropriate measures to account for the missing, enable the return of their remains, and to provide families with information on their loved ones’ fate.

Also speaking in the Council, Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General at the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, warned that the crisis of missing persons continues to deepen in conflicts worldwide. 

In Ukraine, large numbers of civilians – including children – remain unaccounted for in areas under Russian occupation. In Myanmar, disappearances have surged since the 2021 military coup, amid a lack of due process.

In Syria, the missing persons crisis has become a defining feature of the conflict, Mr. Khiari said, noting also that questions remain over the fate of those missing from the 1991 Gulf War, as well as the enduring impacts on families and communities in Cyprus.

Let us move on

Both speakers underscored the need for the Security Council deliver on the resolution’s promise.

“Time is running short,” Ms. Lee told ambassadors. “Most siblings and spouses of the abductees have already passed away. We, the children, are growing old. There is not much time left.”

Mr. Chen echoed her plea: “I request your support to enable families of this tragic fate, such as mine, have closure and the ability to move on to the next sad chapter in life.”

Assistant Secretary-General Khiari briefs the Security Council.

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How the mother’s mood influences her baby’s ability to speak

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Up to 70 percent of mothers develop postnatal depressive mood, also known as baby blues, after their baby is born. Analyses show that this can also affect the development of the children themselves and their speech. Until now, however, it was unclear exactly how this impairment manifests itself in early language development in infants.

In a study, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig have now investigated how well babies can distinguish speech sounds from one another depending on their mother’s mood. This ability is considered an important prerequisite for the further steps towards a well-developed language. If sounds can be distinguished from one another, individual words can also be distinguished from one another. It became clear that if mothers indicate a more negative mood two months after birth, their children show on average a less mature processing of speech sounds at the age of six months.

The infants found it particularly difficult to distinguish between syllable-pitches. Specifically, they showed that the development of their so-called Mismatch Response was delayed than in those whose mothers were in a more positive mood. This Mismatch Response in turn serves as a measure of how well someone can separate sounds from one another. If this development towards a pronounced mismatch reaction is delayed, this is considered an indication of an increased risk of suffering from a speech disorder later in life.

“We suspect that the affected mothers use less infant-directed-speech,” explains Gesa Schaadt, postdoc at MPI CBS, professor of development in childhood and adolescence at FU Berlin and first author of the study, which has now appeared in the journal JAMA Network Open. “They probably use less pitch variation when directing speech to their infants.” This also leads to a more limited perception of different pitches in the children, she said. This perception, in turn, is considered a prerequisite for further language development.

The results show how important it is that parents use infant-directed speech for the further language development of their children. Infant-directed speech that varies greatly in pitch, emphasizes certain parts of words more clearly – and thus focuses the little ones’ attention on what is being said – is considered appropriate for children. Mothers, in turn, who suffer from depressive mood, often use more monotonous, less infant-directed speech. “To ensure the proper development of young children, appropriate support is also needed for mothers who suffer from mild upsets that often do not yet require treatment,” Schaadt says. That doesn’t necessarily have to be organized intervention measures. “Sometimes it just takes the fathers to be more involved.”

The researchers investigated these relationships with the help of 46 mothers who reported different moods after giving birth. Their moods were measured using a standardized questionnaire typically used to diagnose postnatal upset. They also used electroencephalography (EEG), which helps to measure how well babies can distinguish speech sounds from one another. The so-called Mismatch Response is used for this purpose, in which a specific EEG signal shows how well the brain processes and distinguishes between different speech sounds. The researchers recorded this reaction in the babies at the ages of two and six months while they were presented with various syllables such as “ba,” “ga” and “bu.

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