Kids in Gaza return home – 31 January 2025
Recently a ceasefire was agreed between Israel and Hamas (the terrorist group that runs Gaza). This week on FYI, the team hear from two children, Amal and Rami, who react to the ceasefire and share their hopes on returning home.
Hear Rami and Amal’s stories by watching the video from Sky Kids’ FYI.
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Palestinians walk back home with their belongings.
What’s the situation in Gaza now?
The two sides in the war have agreed to a six-week ceasefire, which means a pause in fighting. Prisoners and hostages are being exchanged, and Palestinians are being allowed to travel back home.
Before the ceasefire began, at least 1.9 million people (90% or nine in ten of the population of Gaza) had been displaced, which means forced to leave their homes.
Although people are now returning, many are finding that their homes were bombed during the war. The United Nations has estimated that more than 90% of the homes in Gaza have been destroyed or seriously damaged. Aid agencies are ready to supply more than 150,000 tents so that people have somewhere to sleep.
Even clearing away all the rubble is expected to take more than 20 years and cost more than a billion dollars. It’s not clear where the money will come from to rebuild the homes, businesses and hospitals. Water supplies, sewage systems and power networks will also need to be repaired.
But before any of that can happen, nobody knows if the war is even over. Israel has said that if it needs to carry on fighting Hamas at the end of the ceasefire, it will.
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Destroyed homes in Rafah.
*Rami’s story
DEC/Arete
*Rami
“Our life in the tents is not good due to lack of water, food, the heat of the sun, the cold of winter. When it rains, our tents, our beds and clothes get soaked. We spend time drying them. There are no schools. Ours were bombed. I wish to go back to school now that the war is over. I hope they rebuild the schools so we can study. I was very happy when I heard about the ceasefire. I’ll go to Gaza City to see my uncle and his children. My family will clean our houses of rubble and dust and repair the broken windows. The columns and roof are intact, but the walls are destroyed due to shelling. We’ll use candles until the infrastructure is repaired, electricity is restored and Gaza is rebuilt. My message to the world is to help us rebuild the schools so we can return to our education and assist in restoring homes. We suffered greatly during this war. It is the hardest experience we’ve ever faced.”
DEC/Arete
*Rami with his mum
*Amal’s story
DEC/Arete
*Amal
“We live in the cold, suffering from a lack of blankets and water. At night, while sleeping, we shiver from the cold. I wake up and help my mother prepare breakfast, tidy the tent and clean. We are excited and very happy that we are going to return to Gaza. Our house is still standing, but it’s damaged. I hope to visit my aunts, sit together, draw, read stories and play together. I miss my room, playing with my toys and sleeping in my bed. God willing, Gaza will be rebuilt in a few years and we will have electricity, water and food. We plan to remain resilient in Gaza and not leave it.”
DEC/Arete
*Amal with her mum
Did you know?
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), which includes 15 of the UK’s leading aid agencies, including the British Red Cross, Christian Aid and Oxfam, launched the DEC Middle East Humanitarian Appeal in October 2024 to help those affected by the conflict. It has so far raised more than £39 million to provide urgent shelter, food and basic supplies. Find out more at dec.org.uk.
* Names have been changed to protect identities.
