War and poverty in the Gaza Strip has forced an increasing number of children in the region to shoulder responsibilities beyond their years. With over half of the population living under the poverty line, there are children as young as five who've had to take up employment to help support their family. This story comes courtesy of AFP.

Just another day at work for 17-year-old Mustafa Al-za'aneen.

Since the age of 10, he has collected and sold plastic and scrap metal from rubbish dumps in his hometown of Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip.

His father is ill and cannot work. So the children are the family's only breadwinners.

"In the beginning, I was hoping to go back to school. But eventually I found that school doesn't necessarily get you a job. Working for 10 shekels a day is better. So I go to look for plastic, stones, concrete and scrap metal. Anything, really," Al-za'aneen said.

About half of Gaza's population lives below the poverty line.

Children in the poorer districts scavenge metal and plastic from the rubble left by the three wars that have ravaged Gaza in the past eight years.

They hope to sell the scrap to firms that recycle them into construction materials.

"The phenomenon of child labor became more important after the 2008 war, and it is still increasing. The reason for that is the poverty and unemployment. Gaza has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world. According to the latest statistics by the center of the Palestinian Bureau of Statistics, the unemployment rate in Gaza has reached 49%," said Khitam Abu Hamad, from Terre Des Hommes.

Here, the French organisation Terre des Hommes helps dozens of children go back to school.

Children are easily employed because they are easy to exploit and will work for lower pay.

Some start aged just five.The jobs they find are often take a toll on their mental and physical wellbeing.

"Children are in danger in Palestine. When children are put to work, it has a negative impact on their personality. They become more aggressive, spiteful, and resent society. They think, +Why do I have to work while others are superior, have fancy cars and live in luxury," said Aida Kassab, director of Gaza Community Mental Health Programme.

It is illegal in the Palestinian territories to employ children under 15.

But there is very little oversight.

So, with few alternatives and employers that can easily hire them at will, Mustafa and other Gazan children like him are unlikely to return to school anytime soon.