DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF GAZA’S CHILDREN: THEIR VOICES AND THEIR PORTRAYAL

Abstract

This study investigates how the voices of children in Gaza are represented, marginalised, and reshaped across digital and mainstream media discourses. While global media often highlight the humanitarian crisis at a surface level, the lived experiences and self-articulated narratives of Gaza’s children remain largely absent or filtered through political and institutional agendas. Using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), this research examines a corpus of verified social media testimonies alongside selected mainstream news reports to identify patterns in linguistic framing, emotional representation, and narrative positioning. Findings reveal three consistent tendencies: first, children’s self-expressed accounts emphasise agency, grief, and the desire for normalcy, whereas mainstream representations predominantly portray them as passive victims. Second, the mediation and translation of children’s testimonies frequently dilute emotional intensity and political clarity, contributing to subtle ideological distortions. Third, the visual and verbal framing employed by international outlets reinforces a humanitarian-but-depoliticised narrative that obscures the structural and historical dimensions of their suffering. By contrasting firsthand voices with institutional portrayals, the study demonstrates how discourse shapes global perceptions of Gaza’s children and contributes to the broader politics of visibility, empathy, and erasure. The findings underscore the urgent need for media frameworks that preserve narrative integrity and foreground children not as symbols, but as speaking subjects with agency.

Bibliography Entry

Kanwal, Saman. 2025. "Discourse Analysis of Gaza’s Children: Their Voices and their Portrayal." Margalla Papers 29 (2): 131-145.