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Screening will start at 12:00 Noon US EDT; 19:00 Palestine; 17:00 UK.; 18:00 Europe. Duration: 30 min., English subtitles, 2024. The film screening will be followed by a discussion with the audience.
About the Film
The film documents the stories of five Palestinian orphans – Yousef, Abdullah, Israa, Mirvat and Mohammed - revealing how their childhoods have been transformed from the ordinary to a landscape of destruction in a single moment, and documents their daily struggles with injury, trauma and displacement.
"My birthday was yesterday. I am now 26. I was thinking that this year I literally lost everything. My mother, father, brother. My family. Our house, my room, my clothes, my diplomas. There's nothing left, nothing."
The words of Israa Al-Naqeeb reflect the experiences of hundreds more like her, whose families have been ripped apart or completely destroyed during Israel's campaign against Hamas.
On the first anniversary of the attack which began the conflict, when Hamas fighters broke across the Gaza border and killed hundreds of Israelis, CGTN Europe has heard from some of those in Gaza who are living with the consequences.
Young people who had lost some – if not all – of their immediate relatives recall the transformation from ordinary life to a world of destruction.
"Our house was beautiful and clean. All was good. But when the war started, they bombed our houses, and we began to live in tents. All tents are not good... They are full of ants and flies. They caused sickness in us during the war."
Aged 10, Mirvat Al-Majdalawi cannot adjust to a life living with loss, fear and an absence of even the most basic of necessities. Her closest surviving family members are her seven-year-old brother Yousef and their even younger sibling Omar, who live on the other side of the territory, an insurmountable distance in the current climate.
Even before October 7, being a child in Gaza was extremely difficult. The territory has endured decades of cyclical violence, 16 years of an Israeli blockade and lack of essential services linked to a spiraling economic crisis. A recent UNICEF report found that many children in Gaza are unable to imagine a future without war.
Mohammed Juha, 17, lost his entire family when his home was hit. Now all he has are memories.
"The best times were when the families got together. Birthdays. Football matches. Going to the sea. The whole family used to go to the beach together. We used to stay there until midnight."
Ruwaida Kamal Amer
About Film Producer
Ruwaida Kamal Amer is a journalist, producer and director based in Gaza. A former part-time science teacher, she has remained in Gaza with her family since the beginning of the war, documenting the ongoing conflict and its devastating impact on civilians.
Over the past eight years, she has worked as a freelance producer and director for several international news outlets, including Al Jazeera English, Euronews and ABC News. Her work has earned her prestigious recognition, including an Edward R. Murrow Award for a film produced for Al Jazeera English.
Ruwaida also writes for platforms such as La Repubblica in Italy, where she reports on the daily realities of life in Gaza under siege, the humanitarian crisis and the broader political landscape, bringing attention to stories often overlooked by mainstream media.