Carrying thermoses through the streets of Gaza City, Palestinian teenager Mohammed Ashour calls out to passersby, hoping they might buy a cup of his coffee.At 15, Mohammed should be in school with his peers, but since his father was killed in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, he has been forced to abandon his education and shoulder responsibilities as the breadwinner for his family.“This burden isn’t mine to carry,” the coffee vendor tells Al Jazeera.“This work – carrying thermoses, cups, going back and forth? It’s too much. I’m exhausted, but I have to do it to support my siblings.”Mohammed is one of a growing number of Palestinian children in Gaza who have been forced into work as a result of Israel’s war.With at least 39,000 children having lost one or both parents in the war, and the enclave’s economy devastated by the conflict, children as young as eight have been pushed into work for their families’ survival – losing not only their education, but their childhoods.Mohammed’s mother, Atad Ashour, says she knows her son should be in school, but that they have no alternative.“After his father was killed, we were left with no income at all,” she said.She said Mohammed’s older brothers were unable to find jobs, and she was unable to pr …
