As Israel’s war on Hamas rages, Palestinian civilians have borne the brunt of the bombing, raids and displacement.
It is estimated that over 25,000 people in Gaza have been killed along with thousands of others who are missing or presumed dead.
This conflict has divided families, made widows, widowers and even orphans of those who resided in the areas affected.
The latter is the fate of a 13-year old boy, Mohammed, in the South of Gaza whose mother was killed on October 10, 2023 just three days after the unprecedented Hamas strike on Israel.
His father is among the missing. Just a boy, the teenager has been burdened with taking care of his seven siblings, one of whom is an infant.
In a report by NBC News, he is shown collecting water and asking for food, powdered baby milk for his sister and having the responsibility to ensure that they are safe as the war rages on around them.
Mohammed has assumed the role of an adult and wakes up early every morning to make sure that his siblings have provisions.
“I am making milk for my little sister. She cries because she is hungry. There is no one to breastfeed her. No one understood her, but my mother. When she got hungry, my mother would feed her.
“She knew how to silence her when she cried. I don’t know how to deal with this ... I don’t know what to do for her. At least bring us milk and Pampers (nappies). Where should I get this stuff?” Mohammed asked in the video.
“The international aid does not help us with anything, though they know that my dad is missing and my mother is dead.”
He tried and failed to nurse the crying infant. According to the report, Mohammed and his siblings have gone from one shelter to the other as the bombs keep coming.
“My little sister keeps crying while I wash her clothes. My mother is martyred. My father cannot reach us. We do not know what to do,” sombrely said the boy’s younger sister.
NBC News claimed that the children have an uncle who tries to help, but it is difficult as there are not any readily available resources.
“I want to get them something so they forget the war and do not get bored,” the boy said. “I am trying to make them forget all their struggles.”
He is then seen purchasing a soccer ball and plays with his siblings and other children at the camp.
United Nations organisations have sounded the alarm over the starvation and illnesses which Gazans face.
Agencies estimate that at least 1.7 million of those that are displaced, struggle to find water, medical treatment and other necessities under daily bombardment.
IOL