Gaza Herald _In Gaza, the war has not only destroyed homes and schools, but it has also transformed the everyday lives of children, forcing them to find new ways to experience moments of joy.
Amid the destruction, dried palm leaves have become play materials, discarded aid bags have turned into colorful decorations, and searching for simple craft supplies has become a dangerous task in a landscape shaped by bombardment.
Yet, despite the hardship surrounding them, a group of children continues to create handmade plates from discarded materials, proving that imagination and creativity can survive even during the darkest times.
A Summer Unlike Any Other
For 14-year-old Fares Al-Haddad, this summer carries none of the familiar memories of childhood summers before the war.
With parks closed, recreational activities gone, and art supplies nearly impossible to find, Fares spends his days collecting dried palm fronds with his friends and transforming them into handmade crafts.
Each morning, he searches for fallen palm leaves, gathers them carefully, cleans them, and prepares them to create decorative plates with his own hands.
“The summer is completely different now,” Fares says. “There is nothing like before.”
Finding Beauty in What Others Throw Away
The shortage of colored paper and craft materials has not stopped Fares from creating.
Among the plastic bags included in humanitarian aid packages, he found a new source of decoration. He cuts and reshapes the bags, using them to add colors and patterns to the palm-leaf plates.
For him, these materials are no longer ordinary waste. The palm leaves and plastic bags have become tools that help him fill the emptiness left by war and reclaim a small part of the childhood taken from him.
Working alongside his friends, Fares collects materials, shares ideas, and spends hours crafting. Their creations provide a brief escape from the sounds of war surrounding them.
Every finished plate gives him a sense of achievement—a reminder that even simple things can carry meaning when made with determination.
The Search for Thread Becomes a Dangerous Mission
Fares’ friend, Ezz Al-Din Al-Abed, helps with the craft by searching for the thread needed to hold the plates together.
In normal circumstances, finding thread would be an easy task. But in Gaza, where markets have been severely disrupted and basic supplies have disappeared, even small items have become difficult to obtain.
Ezz says he often walks to a vendor near the mosque close to their displacement area because it is one of the few places where such materials can still be found.
“The seller knows there is a shortage,” he explains. “Sometimes he sells us a small amount for one price, and other times he raises the cost. But we have no other choice.”
A Childhood Game That Nearly Became a Tragedy
Despite the dangers around them, the children continue making their crafts. But even these moments of happiness can quickly become risky.
Ezz recalls one frightening incident when a newly finished plate was carried away by the wind before they had properly secured it.
“We ran after it while laughing. We were only thinking about catching the plate and didn’t realize where we were going.”
As they chased it, they suddenly found themselves near the so-called “yellow line.” At that moment, tanks began firing heavily.
“We froze from fear. We couldn’t believe how close we had gotten,” he recalls.
The children abandoned the plate and rushed back as gunfire filled the area.
“Only then did we realize how close we had been to losing our lives,” Ezz says.
Small Plates Carrying a Bigger Story
The children became more cautious after that day, but they did not give up their craft.
The handmade plates they create from palm leaves represent more than a simple activity. They are an attempt to reclaim fragments of a childhood disrupted by war.
Between searching for materials, facing shortages, and navigating constant danger, these children are living through experiences far beyond their years.
Still, with their own hands, they continue creating, dreaming, and weaving moments of hope, showing that even in the midst of destruction, the human spirit continues to find ways to endure.
