Over 60,000 Gaza children lose parents amid ongoing war

More than 60,000 children in Gaza have lost at least one parent since the conflict began in October 2023, according to

More than 60,000 children in Gaza have lost at least one parent since the conflict began in October 2023, according to figures released by the Palestinian health ministry on Wednesday.

The ministry reported that 60,737 children had either been orphaned or left with only one surviving parent.

Of these, 52,095 children lost their fathers, while 5,929 lost their mothers. Another 2,713 children lost both parents during the conflict.

The figures highlight the devastating impact of prolonged violence on children across the Gaza Strip.

The ministry also reported that thousands of families had been completely erased from Gaza’s civil registry.

According to its figures, 2,276 families comprising 8,858 people have been wiped out during the conflict.

The overall death toll in Gaza has also exceeded 73,000 since the start of the war, the ministry said.

A ceasefire reached in October has failed to end all violence in the territory. Palestinian authorities say Israeli forces have continued carrying out strikes, with more than 1,100 people reportedly killed since the truce began.

The latest figures have renewed concerns over the humanitarian consequences of the conflict. Thousands of children have been left without one or both parents, while many families have lost multiple members.

The United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry has also documented serious violations involving Palestinian children.

In a report released in June, the commission said Israeli authorities and security forces had deliberately targeted Palestinian children. It alleged that violations amounted to genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza, as well as war crimes in the occupied West Bank.

The commission examined alleged violations against Palestinian children since the conflict began on October 7, 2023.

It found that children accounted for around 30 per cent of those killed in the Gaza war.

In an earlier report released in September, the commission concluded that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza and said senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had contributed to incitement.

Israel has rejected the accusations, describing them as unfounded and deeply offensive.

The latest Palestinian figures underline the long-term consequences of the conflict for Gaza’s youngest population. Beyond the immediate loss of life, thousands of children are now facing life without parents, while entire families have disappeared from official records.