Footage shows the release of 54 prisoners from the Sinai Peninsula in the city of Arish following a presidential pardon.

A statement from the presidency explained that the decision was made in response to appeals from tribal leaders in Rafah and Sheikh Zuweid in northern Sinai. However, no details were provided about the prisoners or the nature of their sentences.

According to international human rights organisations, Egypt holds an estimated 60,000 political prisoners, many of whom are reportedly subjected to systematic torture and denied medical care.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday claimed that progress was made in negotiation talks with Hamas for the release of Israeli captives in Gaza.

In a world filled with joy and hope, children go to sleep under warm blankets, surrounded by comfort and security. They wake up to the sound of birdsong, heading to school with bright smiles and backpacks filled with dreams. They play in vibrant playgrounds, painting their future on the canvas of life with radiant colors.

But here, in Gaza, the picture is starkly different. Hamoud, Kinda, Fathi, and Mira, children as delicate as flowers, live their days in a torn tent that barely shields them from the biting winter cold. Their worn-out clothes fail to protect them from the harsh winds, and their small feet tread on the rubble of homes that were once sanctuaries of safety.

Hamoud, a four-year-old, stands beside a pile of rubble that used to be his home. His eyes carry a gaze far beyond his years, the look of a child who has seen more suffering than his tender age can bear. Kinda, barely able to speak, clutches her torn doll as if it’s the last thread tying her to a world of childhood. Fathi, a boy who loves to draw, finds only shattered stones to sketch his dreams on, refusing to let them fade. And Mira, the youngest, barely understands what is happening around her but smiles nonetheless, as if to say, "I’m still here, stronger than all of this."

Life in Gaza is far from the life the world knows. These children wake up to the sounds of explosions and go to bed each night hoping to survive until morning. Their playtime isn’t in lush playgrounds but among ruins that might conceal deadly remnants. Their illnesses aren’t just passing fevers but the result of polluted air and toxic smoke, threatening them with diseases they cannot afford to treat.

Yet, despite all of this, their eyes still hold a faint glimmer of hope, a resilience that refuses to fade. Hamoud dreams of a beautiful house and a swing to play on. Kinda wishes to become a doctor to heal the pain of those around her. Fathi dreams of painting a grand mural about the Gaza he loves, and Mira simply wants to see a day without fear.

These are the faces of children enduring a reality they didn’t choose. Their story is the story of Gaza, where childhood is trapped between ruins and siege. They don’t ask for the impossible—only for their right to live. Share their story, be their voice, because the world must see this injustice and know that there are children in Gaza who refuse to let their childhood be erased, no matter what surrounds them.