Thousands of orphaned children face an uncertain future after losing their families in the war. According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, the number of orphans in the Gaza Strip has exceeded 30,000 children. These orphaned children, who lost their families due to the war, live in harsh conditions without the basic rights to care, safety, health, and education as stipulated by international conventions, particularly the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Umm al-Abed told Sputnik: “My grandson Anas was playing with a kite and went to retrieve it after it landed on the neighbor’s roof. At that moment, a missile hit the house, martyring his parents and little sister. He returned to see his family home in ruins. Like the rest of the orphans, he suffers from a difficult psychological condition. I try to alleviate his and the other orphans’ suffering, but they need many things that I cannot provide.”
She added: “There are several orphans I care for who lost their families due to the bombing. I do what I can for them despite the harsh conditions. My biggest struggle is their severe psychological distress whenever they remember the war events. A psychologist visits the camp periodically to provide psychological support. We are three families living together in a tent full of orphans, and I hope to remain strong to help these children, providing them with care, affection, and kindness.”
Children in Gaza have not experienced a safe and stable childhood. They live in an environment lacking the basic necessities of life, with fragile tents, forced displacement, and ongoing daily tragedy. The orphans of Gaza are left with only memories and face an uncertain fate.
Not far from Umm al-Abed, Umm Ahmad Al-Jabour, who lost her husband and children during the war, takes care of her orphaned grandchildren. She told Sputnik: “During the war, my grandchildren lost their father and mother. I care for them despite my old age. I cannot describe my condition and theirs, facing all kinds of deprivation, loss, and deadly displacement from one place to another. We hope for the war to end and for significant attention to be given to the orphans of Gaza.”
Nevine Abdulhadi, Director of Mental Health in Gaza, told Sputnik: “More than 30,000 orphans in the Gaza Strip lost both or one of their parents during the war. This group suffers greatly. Gaza’s orphans do not feel safe and lack food and shelter, and all the legitimate rights of children have been stripped away in Gaza.”
The situation worsens beyond psychological impact as most children become like they have unknown identities, with no known relatives. Legal guardianship procedures are hindered by war conditions and the non-operation of courts, leaving the fate of dozens hanging without official care, schools, or homes in the absence of systems supporting orphans.
