'My children have only known war in Gaza - life is a daily battle for survival'

A Gaza mother whose two children have only known war has shared her dream for a future in which they can live "without fear" as peace talks continue. Ranin Awad, 26, gave birth to her son Jamal just one month before the horrific October 7 terror attacks started a war that forced millions of Palestinians to flee their homes and reduced entire neighbourhoods to rubble. Her daughter Julie was born three months ago, when "the first sounds she ever heard were bombardment".

Ranin said: "Each day feels like a race to keep the children fed and warm while the world outside grows quieter and more dangerous. I rock Julie and listen to the distant sounds of conflict, praying that tonight will pass safely. Every morning I wake up grateful that we are still together, and every night I wonder how much longer we can endure."

Ranin, who works as a fundraising coordinator with UK charity Christian Aid's partner, the Women's Affairs Center, was raised in Gaza City.

She and her husband Mohammed have been displaced 12 times since the war began, "leaving behind memories, neighbours, and pieces of the life I once knew".

Ranin said life has become "a daily struggle for survival". Electricity is scarce, water is rationed and still causes stomach problems and sickness after being boiled.

She added: "Shops are shuttered, roads blocked, and even the most basic supplies - bread, clean water, medicine - are scarce."

Research by Christian Aid in September showed prices had skyrocketed. Eggs cost up to £40 per dozen, a packet of 64 nappies cost £56, and cucumbers were on sale for £8 per kilo.

More than 54,600 children under five in Gaza are estimated to be acutely malnourished and in need of urgent therapeutic nutrition and healthcare, a major study found.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) screened almost 220,000 children aged six months to five years old between January 2024 and August 2025. The findings, published in The Lancet medical journal, were used to estimate the prevalence of acute malnutrition across the Gaza Strip.

The total includes 12,800 children thought to be "severely wasted" with little chance of rehabilitation given the inadequate amounts of food crossing the borders and crippled health services.

Dr Akihiro Seita, UNRWA director of health, said: "Given the long failure to stop the war and prevent encroaching famine despite a global capacity to do so, unless there is a lasting cessation of the conflict coupled with unimpeded, competent, international humanitarian nutritional, medical, economic and social services, a further deterioration in early childhood nutrition with increased mortality are inevitable in the Gaza Strip."

Ranin said food is "the hardest challenge". "We survive on whatever we can find - mostly lentils, rice, and bread when flour is available. Fresh vegetables or fruit are rare treasures.

"When I do manage to get a few tomatoes or cucumbers, I save them for the children, slicing tiny pieces - each piece is about the size of a one-shekel coin - so they each get a taste. That's all I can sometimes give the children, just to quieten their hunger for a little while."

The young mum once dreamed of taking Jamal to the seaside "so he could run barefoot on the sand and feel the warm waves".

She said: "I pictured him tasting watermelon in the summer, laughing with family during picnics. Instead, his life has been marked by rationed meals and nights spent in crowded shelters.

"Fresh fruit is a rare luxury; he has never bitten into a ripe peach or strawberry. Jamal is able to walk outside, but it is extremely dangerous.

"The streets are covered with debris from bombed buildings, twisted metal, and shattered glass, so every step he takes puts him at risk of injury. I have to watch him closely and guide him carefully, because even a short walk could be harmful."

Meanwhile, Julie's birth was "one of the hardest experiences of my life", Ranin said. "I remember the fear of not even finding a safe way to get to the hospital because of the bombings and closed roads.

"My husband called many taxis that night, but none were willing to come - they were too afraid of the security situation outside.

"During the delivery, every explosion made me fear the building would collapse. Unlike Jamal's birth, which was calm and supported, Julie's arrival was a battle for survival from the very first moment, shaped by fear, exhaustion, and the harsh reality of war."

Ranin added: "When I hold her, I dream a different future for her: a Gaza where girls can walk to school safely and choose their own path.

"I hope she grows up strong and curious, with the chance to become whatever she wishes - a teacher, a doctor, maybe even a writer who tells the stories of our people in a time of peace.

"I want her to know laughter without fear, to taste the sweetness of pomegranates in autumn, to build friendships that last a lifetime."

At work, Ranin writes grant proposals and organises events to secure financial support for women and girls whose lives have been disrupted by the conflict.

She said: "This work reminds me that we still have power: the power to comfort, to support, and to keep hope alive."

Despite everything they have been thorough, Ranin tries to ensure her children have the usual childhood experiences, such as singing songs, telling stories and drawing shapes in the dust.

She added: "Each day is a patchwork of small victories - finding a little food, keeping them warm, coaxing a laugh. It isn't the life I dreamed for them, but it is the best I can give until peace finally comes.

"I dream of a Gaza where children can grow safely, laugh freely, and pursue their dreams without fear."

You can donate to Christian Aid here.

To hear my colleague Ranin describe tomatoes and cucumbers as rare treasures for her children is simply heartbreaking.

The sacrifices and suffering she and so many families across Gaza are experiencing know no bounds.

In spite of everything Christian Aid's Palestinian partners, who are witnessing death and destruction on an unimaginable scale, continue to deliver vital aid.

From food and water to medical care and psychosocial support, they are at the forefront of the response in their local communities.

Thanks to the generosity of the British public, Christian Aid has continued to fund their work throughout this devastating conflict. But the killing must stop.

As we pass another grim anniversary, we continue to urge the international community to do everything in its power to force Israel to allow aid into Gaza, halt its brutal military campaign and implement a ceasefire that would both end the suffering and see the hostages released.

Please consider supporting Christian Aid's work in the Middle East if you can. Thank you.

- William Bell is Christian Aid's head of Middle East policy and advocacy