Gazan children wander cemeteries for pennies

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — A 12-year-old child sits under a tree in al-Faluja cemetery, southwest of Jabalia refugee camp in north Gaza, shading himself from the rays of the burning sun. He waits for grave visitors to arrive, to offer them a few services in exchange for money.

In the afternoon, Hassan (a pseudonym) notices a man passing by. He grabs the plastic water bottles he filled from the tap water in the cemetery and a broom, and follows the visitor to the grave. The boy dusts the tombstone and waters the plants surrounding it, then asks the man for a shekel or two (31 to 61 US cents).