Gaza ministry counts 54,468 parentless children
The Social Development Ministry reports that over 71,000 orphans and 64,000 widows now reside in the territory following the conflict that began in 2023.
By Luana Sato ·
The Palestinian Ministry of Social Development in Gaza has released figures detailing the human cost of the conflict that began in 2023. The agency’s data reveals a sharp increase in the number of children living without parental support. These statistics reflect the demographic shift caused by sustained military operations and the subsequent displacement of families across the territory.
According to the ministry, 54,468 children have lost one or both parents since October 2023. The total number of orphaned children in Gaza stands at at least 71,000, a figure that includes those bereaved in earlier Israeli military attacks. Additionally, the ministry records at least 64,000 widows across the territory. The orphan registration system indicates that approximately 3,000 children have no registered guardian, custodian, or caregiver to oversee their welfare.
The Abu Asser family illustrates the instability many children now face. Mariam, 16, Aya, 14, and Jebril, 12, lost their father during Israel’s 2014 offensive on Gaza. When their home in Gaza City was destroyed during the 2023 war, 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 in front of her three children.
The siblings now rotate between relatives, spending two nights with each maternal aunt. Their aunt Warda al-Muzeini, who lost her husband in an Israeli air strike, stated that the children have no stable home. Jebril was injured in the blast that killed his mother. Al-Muzeini, who raises her own four children without a job or reliable income, said she struggles to provide even one meal a day. The aunts share the financial burden, with one buying pyjamas, another slippers, and another providing pocket money for a few days.
Ministry spokesperson Aziza al-Kahlout explained that the numbers do not capture the daily suffering involved. She noted that a child who has lost both parents loses care and safety, along with education and childhood. These children are forced to carry responsibilities far beyond their years. Women who become the sole breadwinners face the dual burden of providing for children and raising them amid devastation.
Kahlout warned of deeply alarming signs of growing risks of child labour, school dropout, and early marriage in Gaza. She attributed these trends to poverty, displacement, and the loss of family breadwinners. Orphaned children are especially exposed as economic and humanitarian conditions worsen and adequate shelter remains scarce.
Wafaa al-Attar, now 13, lost her entire immediate family in a single air strike on 22 February 2024. She was 10 when she left home to charge her father’s phone at her uncle’s nearby house. A massive blast struck the multi-storey building in Deir al-Balah, killing her father Ahmed, her mother Khouloud, and her four siblings. Attar suffered minor shrapnel injuries and was taken to hospital. She later moved in with her uncle, his wife, and their newborn, stating that no one could ever replace her own family.
