The New Statesman

@newstatesman · Twitter · 2026-09-11 10:22 UTC

Gordon Brown: Palestine’s children have suffered untold horrors Amid the ruins and the rubble, there is a flicker of hope. The first 1,000 Palestinian children under five are now attending, or are about to attend, early-learning classes in makeshift centres across Gaza – giving the youngest victims of nearly three years of conflict the opportunity to play, to learn, to escape the trauma of recent times, and to smile and laugh again. In bombed-out areas, where there is barely skeletal provision for newborns, toddlers and infants, centres called “pop-up Sure Starts”– in a nod to the UK scheme established during the Labour government of 1997-2010 – are being established. These centres deliver a programme combining education, healthcare, childcare and essential mental health support for children who have been born into conflict and are, even now, living on the edge of subsistence. The Swedish government and independent charity the Akelius Foundation have invested a combined $120m in Unicef’s provision. There are to be 400 schools for children aged between four and 16. The plan, initiated by the charity Theirworld and delivered by the local Palestinian Early Childhood Education Program (PECEP), is to match those schools with 400 permanent Sure Start-style centres for under-fives. With Theirworld’s support, PECEP is providing 12 temporary early-learning centres for children aged three to five, giving young children opportunities to return to learning and play. https://www.newstatesman.com/international-politics/2026/09/palestines-children-have-suffered-untold-horrors?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1789119973-1