A children’s cinema festival was held in the Gaza Strip at the ruined Rashad Al-Shawa Cultural Center, aiming to offer psychological support as Israeli attacks continue.

Festival media director Naheel Al-Azbaki said the event was meant to restore some joy to children who “have experienced suffering no child in the world should experience.”

Elin Miqdad, one of the children attending, said: “I came to be happy like other children. Life was better when I was little, but now we live with bombing, displacement, and destruction. Bombs follow us everywhere.”

According to local authorities, more than 69,500 people have been killed and over 170,000 injured in Gaza since October 7, 2023.