One November morning, Youssef was hungry and his mother decided to make his favourite dish- fried tomatoes.

As she was about to rush out to go search for two tomatoes to calm her son’s hunger, Youssef’s mother told him to close the door carefully and wait until she returned.

Minutes later, there was no door or home to return to as Israeli missiles bombed the street, leaving many homeless, injured and dead under the rubble.

Her beautiful Youssef, with his curly hair and white skin, was killed. He was seven years old.

Youssef is one of the thousands of Palestinian children who died due to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

On October 7, Hamas launched a surprise wave of terror attacks into Israeli territory, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,140 people in Israel. The attack provoked retaliation from Israel, which has left a humanitarian catastrophe and a horrific death toll on children in Palestine, especially in Gaza.

According to health officials in Gaza, over 25,000 Palestinians - many of them women and children - have been killed since October 7. Many other children have been left injured, homeless and suffering from trauma.

Youssef’s story was one of the heartbreaking narratives a group of Maltese actors performed earlier this month to raise funds to support Palestinian children dealing with the trauma of war.

The Gaza Monologues performed at Spazju Kreattiv earlier this month is an international project based on the personal stories of children living in Gaza.

The monologues read out during the performances were written by children and youths in 2010, 2014 and also more recently stories during the current conflict in Gaza.

Theatre cannot change the world but it can allow us to come together to see, think and feel differently

The show was produced by Toni Attard and directed by Jean-Marc Cafà.

While tickets were free, donations were collected for Al-Harah Theatre, which provides psycho-social activities for children in the West Bank trying to process their trauma.

In the past few weeks, the production managed to raise €3,575 for the Al-Harah Theatre and will be sending the donations in the coming days.

“The feedback we received from the production has been exceptional and the conversation it generated is very important,” Attard told Times of Malta.

“I believe that theatre has a role to play as a platform for uncomfortable conversations and can also be a place of solidarity, where we come together and do something to help.”

‘If there were ever a time to hear stories like these, it’s now’

The Gaza Monologues is not the only local production that puts the spotlight on the conflict.

My Name is Rachel Corrie is a play based on the true story of a 23-year-old activist who was killed in Gaza in 2003 while protecting Palestinian homes from demolition.

The one-woman show had its opening night on January 25 at The Splendid, in Strait Street, Valletta, and will run till February 4. Produced by WhatsTheirNames Theatre, the play is directed by Philip Leone-Ganado and stars Sandie von Brockdorff in the title role.

“I first encountered the play in 2009, during the war on Gaza that Israel called Operation Cast Lead and it’s been on my mind ever since,” Leone-Ganado told Times of Malta.

“What we are witnessing now is orders of magnitude more devastating and if there were ever a time to hear stories like these, it’s now.”

Sandie von Brockdorff plays the title role in My Name is Rachel Corrie, the story of a 23-year-old activist who was killed by an Israeli soldier. Photo: Elisa von Brockdorff

Leone-Ganado, who was one also of the actors in The Gaza Monologues, said staging the play in Malta now was an opportunity to bring a different and more human perspective to the news of the ongoing Israel-Palestinian conflict.

“Theatre has a responsibility to respond to the most pressing issues of the day,” he said.

“Theatre cannot change the world but it can allow us to come together to see, think and feel differently. Someone once said we sit together in the dark to know how to love each other in the light and plays like this present a deeply human perspective that is often missing from news reports.”

He said a portion of all proceeds will be donated to the Palestinian Red Cross Society and they are also collecting donations after each production.

“This play reminds us of the human beings behind the numbers as well as the role the world at large, and each individual in it, plays in enabling or opposing what is happening,” Leone-Ganado said.

“Rachel went to Rafah to stop the tanks and paid for it with her life. That’s something worth reflecting on.”