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, a

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