For Palestinian children in Gaza and the West Bank, violence is a daily backdrop. The violence has claimed the lives of thousands of Palestinians, and injured tens of thousands more – many of them children. Homes, farmland and businesses are regularily destroyed by bulldozers and tanks.
Curfews and heavy restrictions on movement make it extremely difficult for Palestinians to work. Over two thirds of the population survive on less than $2 a day in a country where the cost of living is as high as some parts of Europe.
An alarming number of children are acutely malnourished, and thousands are traumatised by the ongoing violence. It is all too common for a child to lose their parents in the conflict, or to be shot and permanently disabled.