54,468 Gaza Children Now Orphaned

The central conflict in Gaza’s humanitarian crisis is the fragmentation of family units. Since October 2023, the number of children who have lost one or both parents has surged to 54,468, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Social Development. This count includes those bereaved in earlier Israeli military attacks on the territory. The ministry estimates that at least 64,000 women are now widows and 71,000 children are orphaned across the strip.

The data highlights a gap in care for the most vulnerable. Approximately 3,000 children have no registered guardian, custodian, or caregiver. These children are left without a formal legal structure to protect them or provide for their daily needs. The ministry’s registration system tracks these cases, but the physical reality often involves informal arrangements among extended family members.

Mariam, 16, Aya, 14, and Jebril, 12, exemplify this informal system. The siblings have moved between their aunts' tents every two days since their mother, Islam, was killed. They had already lost their father during the 2014 offensive. When their home in Gaza City was destroyed in the war that began in 2023, they sheltered with their mother in a makeshift tent in Deir al-Balah. An Israeli bomb struck the tent on the nineteenth day after the ceasefire took effect on 10 October 2025, killing Islam in front of the children.

Warda al-Muzeini, the children’s aunt, states they have no stable home. They mostly stay with their paternal grandmother but rotate between their maternal aunts, spending two nights with each. Jebril was injured when the bomb struck while sitting in his mother's lap. Muzeini, who lost her own husband in an air strike, raises four children alone without a reliable income. She says she struggles to provide even one meal a day. Another aunt is also a widow. The sisters share the burden, with one buying pyjamas, another slippers, and another providing pocket money.

Aziza al-Kahlout, a spokesperson for the ministry, says the numbers do not capture the daily suffering. A child who loses both parents loses care, safety, and education. They are forced to carry responsibilities far beyond their years. Women who become the sole breadwinners face a double burden of providing for children and raising them amid devastation. Al-Kahlout warns of growing risks of child labour, school dropout, and early marriage driven by poverty and displacement.

Wafaa al-Attar, 13, lost her entire immediate family in a single strike. She was 10 when she left her home in Deir al-Balah on 22 February 2024 to charge her father's phone at her uncle's house. A blast struck the multi-storey building where her family was located. The strike killed her father, Ahmed, her mother, Khouloud, and her four siblings: Rital, eight, Muhammed, five, Obada, three, and nine-month-old Yazan. Attar suffered minor shrapnel injuries and was taken to hospital.

Attar asked about her family until her uncle arrived and told her they had died. She fell silent for two or three hours. She first stayed with her grandparents and later moved in with her uncle, his wife, and their newborn. For months, Attar wished she had been killed with them. Her uncle's wife reminded her that her father would want her to stay strong. Attar acknowledges that no one could ever replace her own family.