GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The stories of war are not the only tragic stories unfolding in the Gaza Strip; there are other kinds of tragedies taking place there and all around the world. These are the stories of children of unknown parentage.

Yara (a pseudonym), 16, is one of 18 children with unknown parentage who grew up in the Mabarra al-Rahma Charitable Center in Gaza City. She was very excited to show her drawings to Al-Monitor, and we took care not to discuss sensitive subjects to avoid upsetting her.

When Yara left, Khouloud Ghanem, the director of the dormitories, told Al-Monitor, “She was a brilliant student, until one day, one of her classmates whispered in her ear asking her if she was an illegitimate child. Usually nobody at school, except the principal, knows the truth, but some people who live in the area know that these children live in the center. That's how news spreads like fire.”

She explained that the older these children get, the more questions they start asking about their parents and the reason they live in the center. Hence, the truth has to be handed to them at some point.