Gaza: 71,000 orphans now survive without guardians

Gaza’s Ministry of Social Development reports that 54,468 children in the territory have lost one or both parents since October 2023. This registry captures those bereaved during the recent conflict and includes individuals who lost parents in earlier Israeli military operations. The ministry estimates that at least 64,000 widows and 71,000 orphaned children currently reside in Gaza. Approximately 3,000 of these children lack a registered guardian, custodian, or caregiver to oversee their daily needs.

The Abu Asser family in Gaza City illustrates the logistical challenges of this care gap. Mariam, 16; Aya, 14; and Jebril, 12, lost their father during the 2014 offensive. When the war began in 2023, their home was destroyed, and they sheltered with their mother, Islam, in a makeshift tent in Deir al-Balah. On the nineteenth day after the ceasefire took effect on 10 October 2025, an Israeli bomb struck the tent, killing Islam. Jebril, who was sitting in her lap, was injured in the blast.

The three siblings now rotate between relatives every two days. They primarily stay with their paternal grandmother but spend two nights at a time with their maternal aunts. Their aunt, Warda al-Muzeini, stated that the children have no stable home. Jebril witnessed his mother’s death in front of him. Muzeini, a widow raising four children of her own without a job or reliable income, said she struggles to provide even one meal a day. Another aunt is also a widow. The sisters split costs for necessities, with one buying pajamas, another providing slippers, and a third giving the children pocket money for a few days.

Aziza al-Kahlout, the ministry’s spokesperson, said the current statistics do not fully reflect the daily suffering of these families. She noted that children who lose both parents lose care and safety. They are also deprived of education and childhood, often forced to assume responsibilities far beyond their age. Women who become the sole breadwinners for their families face the dual burden of providing for children while raising them amidst widespread devastation. The ministry warns of growing risks of child labor, school dropout, and early marriage driven by poverty, displacement, and the loss of primary earners.

Wafaa al-Attar, 13, lost her entire immediate family in a single strike. On 22 February 2024, she was 10 years old when she left her home in Deir al-Balah to charge her father’s phone at her uncle’s nearby house, which had solar panels. A massive blast struck the multi-storey building where her family was living. The air strike killed her father, Ahmed; her mother, Khouloud; and four siblings: Rital, eight; Muhammed, five; Obada, three; and Yazan, nine months old. Attar suffered minor shrapnel injuries and was hospitalized. She kept asking about her family until her uncle arrived and told her they were dead. She fell silent for two or three hours.

Attar later moved in with her uncle, his wife, and their newborn. She stayed with her grandparents initially before making the move to her uncle's home. For months, she wished she had been inside the building when it was bombed. Her uncle's wife comforted her by reminding her that her father would want her to stay strong. Attar said she knows no one can replace her own family.