54,468: Gaza Ministry Counts Orphaned Children Amid Widows' Strain
A new registry identifies nearly 3,000 children without guardians as female heads of households report difficulty providing basic necessities.
By Alina Carter ·
The Palestinian Ministry of Social Development in Gaza has registered 54,468 children who have lost one or both parents since the conflict began in October 2023. This figure is part of a larger demographic shift in the territory, where the ministry counts at least 64,000 widows and 71,000 orphaned children in total, including those bereaved in earlier Israeli military operations.
The ministry's registration system indicates that approximately 3,000 of these children have no registered guardian, custodian, or caregiver. These individuals are part of a growing group of minors who rely entirely on extended family networks for survival. The data reflects a significant increase in dependency on female relatives, many of whom are themselves widows managing households without a primary male income.
The daily reality for these families is characterized by instability and resource scarcity. In Deir al-Balah, three siblings, Mariam, Aya, and Jebril, move between the tents of their maternal aunts. They spend two nights with each aunt in a rotating schedule. Their mother, Islam, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on their temporary shelter on the nineteenth day of the ceasefire that took effect on 10 October 2025.
Aunt Warda al-Muzeini, who lost her own husband in an air strike, raises four children alone without a job. She and other widowed sisters share the cost of caring for the Abu Asser children. One aunt buys pyjamas, another purchases slippers, and a third provides pocket money for a few days. Al-Muzeini stated that the group struggles to provide even one meal a day for all the children under their care.
Aziza al-Kahlout, the ministry spokesperson, stated that the statistics do not fully capture the daily suffering involved in raising these children. She noted that a child who has lost both parents loses care, safety, education, and childhood. Al-Kahlout said these minors are forced to carry responsibilities far beyond their years, while the women who become their sole breadwinners face the dual burden of providing and raising children amidst devastation.
Al-Kahlout warned of rising risks of child labor, school dropout, and early marriage in Gaza. She attributed these trends to poverty, displacement, and the loss of family breadwinners. The ministry indicated that orphaned children are especially exposed as economic conditions worsen and adequate shelter remains scarce across the territory.
Some children have lost their entire immediate family in single incidents. Wafaa al-Attar, now 13, was ten years old when she left her home in Deir al-Balah on 22 February 2024 to charge her father's phone at her uncle's house. An airstrike hit the multi-storey building where her family was staying, killing her father Ahmed, her mother Khouloud, and four siblings: Rital, eight, Muhammed, five, Obada, three, and Yazan, nine months.
Al-Attar suffered minor shrapnel injuries and was taken to a hospital. She asked about her family until her uncle arrived and informed her of their deaths. She later moved in with her uncle, his wife, and their newborn child. Al-Attar said she wished for months that she had been in the house when it was bombed, but her uncle's wife reminded her that her father would want her to stay strong. She noted that no one could replace her own family.
