Resource Guide
Engaging Kids:
How to Talk to Kids about the Israel-Hamas War (PBS NewsHour)
News and social media are saturated with horrifying images from the war between Israel and Hamas. Since the war began on Oct. 7, thousands of people have been killed and thousands more are injured. As adults digest daily updates, kids may also be aware of the war and have feelings or questions that are difficult to answer.
How to Talk With Your Child About the Israel-Gaza War (Healthy Children)
The Israel-Gaza war is distressing, and children and teens may be wondering why this violence is occurring and what else will happen in the future. Like adults, they are better able to cope with upsetting news and images when they understand more about the situation. Here are some suggestions to help parents and caregivers support children in a constructive and helpful way.
How to Talk to Kids About Antisemitism and Why It’s Important (Parents)
With hate crimes and antisemitic acts on the rise, it is crucial for parents of all faiths to talk about this prejudice against Jewish people with their kids. Here are some concrete ways to have this discussion.
How to Talk to Kids About Islamophobia (Parents)
As attacks on Palestine intensify, anti-Muslim rhetoric and violence have increased worldwide. Here’s some guidance on how to explain Islamophobia to children.
Birds of Gaza
Birds of Gaza is a community art project for children to craft unique birds to remember every child killed in the war on Gaza. Through the power of collective art, we’re highlighting the atrocities that have led to over 12,500 children (and counting) being killed.
Understanding The Environmental Impacts:
Emissions from Israel’s war in Gaza have ‘immense’ effect on climate catastrophe
First months of conflict produced more planet-warming gasses than 20 climate-vulnerable nations do in a year, study shows. The climate costs of war and militaries can no longer be ignored.
Palestine is a cause of human rights and climate justice
Palestine is a cause of human rights and climate justice. The struggle to fight against the Israeli occupation, which has been based on the illegal exploitation of Palestinian lands and natural resources, is part of a liberation struggle, as PENGON / Friends of the Earth Palestine tell us in this interview. We met with Rasha Abu Dayyeh and Abeer Butmeh, two of their members, who shared with us what the reality is today in Palestine.
Is Israel’s Gaza bombing also a war on the climate?
From polluted water supplies to toxic smoke-filled air from burning buildings and bodies, every aspect of life in Gaza is now filled with some form of pollution. “On the ground, this war has destroyed every aspect of Gaza’s environment,” Nada Majdalani, the Ramallah-based Palestine director for EcoPeace Middle East, told Al Jazeera. Here’s a look at how the unstoppable bombardment of the enclave could further affect climate change in a region that has already seen temperatures increase, with projections of a 4 degrees Celsius (7.2 degrees Fahrenheit) rise by the end of the century.
Barely a drop to drink: children in the Gaza Strip do not access 90 per cent of their normal water use
Recently displaced children in the southern Gaza Strip are accessing only 1.5 to 2 liters of water each day, well below the recommended requirements just for survival, according to UNICEF estimates. According to humanitarian standards, the minimum amount of water needed in an emergency is 15 liters, which includes water for drinking, washing and cooking. For survival alone, the estimated minimum is 3 liters per day.
Take Action:
Contact President Biden
Send your letter to President Biden to urge the U.S. to stop funding weapons to the Israeli government that may be used in violation of international humanitarian law, including to commit war crimes, and demand an immediate ceasefire to prevent further loss of civilian lives, ensure access to life-saving humanitarian aid, prevent further displacement, and enable the safe return of remaining hostages.
Aid for Children and Families in Gaza
2.3 million Palestinians live in the Gaza Strip. Ongoing Israeli attacks from air, land and sea are killing, injuring, and displacing children, journalists, and medical workers. Israel has cut off electricity, food, water, and other basic necessities. The Middle East Children’s Alliance has been working with clinics and community centers in Gaza for 35 years providing aid when and where it is needed. We are providing emergency aid to children and families right now.
Save the Children
Children have no part in starting wars, but are victims of their violence. Rafah could become the deadliest and most destructive chapter of this conflict yet. All children affected by the violence in Israel and Gaza must be supported to find safety. The over 1M people sheltering in Rafah cannot flee. We need a definitive #CEASEFIRENOW.
Women for Women International
Working with local Women’s Rights Organizations (WROs) to serve marginalized women who face violence, instability, food insecurity, and unemployment in the region.
Having a world where our children can thrive is a universal desire that resonates with mothers across race, class, faith, and location. It is the driving force behind our work to ensure all children have a livable climate, and it is what moves us to take action when we see children being denied the safety and freedom that they all deserve.
As mothers, aunts, caregivers, and pursuers of justice, we have all been deeply impacted by the ongoing war in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis facing Palestinian children and their families. From witnessing the horrific attacks on Israelis on October 7 to grieving the ongoing attacks on Palestine that have killed more than 30,000 Palestinians, including about 12,500 children, many of us are overwhelmed with grief, anger, and fear. Over the past five months, we have witnessed those in our communities grieve the loss of family and friends in the region, fight Islamophobia and antisemitism at home, and struggle to help their children understand the inexplicable violence and inhumane treatment of their peers.
We are also aware that the relentless military assaults are creating an environmental crisis. Research has shown that planet-warming emissions generated during the first two months of the war in Gaza were greater than the annual carbon footprint of more than 20 of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations. Military weapons have introduced toxic chemicals into the ground, air, and water. And the destruction of infrastructure has caused sewage to flow into the Mediterranean Sea and waste to mix with water sources, causing the spread of water-borne diseases such as cholera.
As a leadership team, we have wrestled with how we can be most impactful in a moment when every action feels too small, when our communities have been thrust into division and despair and are uncertain what to do next. What we are certain of is that community is the antidote to despair. When we are in anguish and distress, community is what gives us strength and guidance to take the next best step forward.
We hope you find something useful as you hold your community through the pain, and as you act together for a world that condones no sacrifice zones.
We are so grateful that you are a part of our Mothers Out Front community.
With care,
Beth, Camille, Jenny, Jill, Kia & Maya
The Mothers Out Front Staff Leadership Team
