Gaza Child Orphans: Ministry counts 71,000 minors without parents

Three siblings in Gaza change shelters every two days. Mariam, 16, Aya, 14, and Jebril, 12, follow this cycle because they lost their mother on the 19th day after the October 10, 2025, ceasefire. Their home in Gaza City was destroyed during the war that began in 2023. They took shelter in a tent in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, with their mother, Islam. An Israeli bomb struck the tent, killing her in front of the children. Their father died during Israel's 2014 offensive on Gaza.

The Palestinian Ministry of Social Development states that 54,468 children in Gaza have lost one or both parents since October 2023. The ministry counts at least 64,000 widows and 71,000 orphaned children across the territory. This figure includes those bereaved in earlier Israeli military attacks. The ministry's registration system shows approximately 3,000 children have no registered guardian, custodian, or caregiver.

Warda al-Muzeini, the children's aunt, says they lack a stable home. They primarily stay with their paternal grandmother but rotate between their maternal aunts. Each aunt hosts them for two nights. Jebril was sitting in his mother's lap when the bomb hit. He sustained injuries. "He saw his mother die in front of him," Muzeini said.

Muzeini lost her husband in an Israeli air strike. She raises four children alone without a job or reliable income. She says she struggles to provide one meal a day. One of the other aunts is also a widow. The sisters share the financial load. One buys pyjamas, another buys slippers, and another provides pocket money for a few days.

Aziza al-Kahlout, the ministry spokesperson, says the statistics do not capture the daily suffering. She notes that a child who loses both parents loses care, safety, education, and childhood. These children are forced to carry responsibilities beyond their years. Women who become the sole breadwinners face the burden of providing for and raising children amid devastation.

Kahlout warns of growing risks of child labor, school dropout, and early marriage in Gaza. She attributes these trends to poverty, displacement, and the loss of family breadwinners. She states that orphaned children are especially exposed as economic and humanitarian conditions worsen and adequate shelter remains scarce.

Wafaa al-Attar, 13, lost her entire family in a single strike. She was 10 when she left her home on February 22, 2024, to charge her father's phone at her uncle's nearby house. The house had solar panels. As she was about to enter, a massive blast struck the multi-storey building where her family was.

"I turned around, and our home was no longer there," Attar said. The air strike killed her father, Ahmed, her mother, Khouloud, and four siblings: Rital, 8, Muhammed, 5, Obada, 3, and Yazan, 9 months. Attar suffered minor shrapnel injuries. She was taken to hospital. She asked about her family until her uncle arrived and told her they died. She remained silent for two to three hours. Then she wondered, "All of them at once?"

Attar first stayed with her grandparents. She later moved in with her uncle, his wife, and their newborn. "For months, I wished I had been with them in the house when it was bombed. I wished I had been killed with them," she said. Her uncle's wife comforted her, reminding her that her father would want her to stay strong. "But of course, I know that no one could ever replace my own family," Attar said.