THE MISSING CHILDREN OF GAZA
THE MISSING CHILDREN OF GAZA
Countless children are missing in Gaza.
Thousands are presumed dead beneath the rubble. Others have been harmed beyond recognition by explosives, buried in unmarked or mass graves, or gone missing in the chaos of conflict.
We may never know what happened to some of these children. But every one of them had a story, a family, and dreams stolen from them.
Keep scrolling to learn about Gaza's missing children.
(Warning: this report contains details readers may find distressing.)
What's happening?
Since October, Gaza has faced relentless violence which has killed over 37,000 people, including thousands of children. It follows an attack in Israel by Palestinian armed groups that killed over a thousand people, including at least 33 children.
Thousands of children in Gaza are trapped beneath the stones of their towns, homes, and schools – structures flattened by Israeli bombs and destroyed by military operations.
Children walk down destroyed streets in Khan Younis, Gaza. Photo: Sacha Myers / Save the Children.
Children walk down destroyed streets in Khan Younis, Gaza. Sacha Myers / Save the Children
Many children have been detained and “disappeared” by Israeli forces. Some thrown into unmarked or mass graves or maimed beyond recognition. Others have been separated from their families and caregivers, at risk of exploitation.
Imagine you’re a parent in Gaza right now, desperately trying to find your child. If you even attempt to clear what was once your home with your bare hands, you risk your life to missiles, bullets and unexploded bombs.
Two Israeli children are still reported to be held hostage in Gaza. Their condition is unknown, and their loved ones are living with the uncertainty of not knowing if their children are alive.
People search the rubble in Gaza. Photo: Bisan Owda / Save the Children.
People search the rubble in Gaza. Photo: Bisan Owda / Save the Children.
So, mums and dads hold out hope – all they have left – that their child is simply lost in the chaos. That they’ll see their face again one day.
But that day will not come until a lasting ceasefire. Only then can we see the truth and begin the search for justice and peace.
Together we can stop the war on children.
How many children are missing?
We can’t be sure.
At least 10,000 people are reported missing under the rubble, presumed dead. Children are reported to make up 43% of total casualties in this devastating war.
So, it’s reasonable to estimate that at least 5,160 children are dead under the rubble.
As of February, an estimated 17,000 children were unaccompanied and separated from their families. This number is likely much higher now, with our team in Gaza finding more unaccompanied children every day.
Furthermore, the bodies of children have been among those recently found in mass graves with many showing signs of torture.
The UN has also raised the alarm about the mass detention of possibly thousands of people, including children, reporting cases of ill-treatment in detention by Israeli forces.
The ongoing violence in Gaza has disrupted communications, and the attacks on hospitals have made it extremely difficult for medical staff to report death tolls and identify those killed. Hospitals must not become battlegrounds.
A child's doll amongst the rubble in Gaza. Photo: Bisan Owda / Save the Children.
A child's doll amongst the rubble in Gaza. Photo: Bisan Owda / Save the Children.
At the same time, the unrelenting intensity of the war in Gaza, movement and access restrictions, and communication blackouts have made it difficult to keep track of and locate children who have been separated and detained.
This means that the true number of missing children in Gaza is even higher.
You can protect the lives of children living in crisis around the world.
Where are Gaza's missing children?
1. Under the rubble
Israeli forces have dropped 75,000 tonnes of explosives – the equivalent of 6 nuclear bombs – on Gaza, turning homes, schools, hospitals and places of worship into rubble. The use of explosive weapons has further aggravated the situation.
The UN reported that over 60% of homes have been damaged in Gaza – the most densely populated place on Earth.
Even if they had the equipment, the intensity of Israeli airstrikes and hostilities between the parties – as well as unexploded bombs and missiles in the debris – means it’s too dangerous for families, first responders, and humanitarian workers to search through the rubble. Children aren’t likely to survive being crushed by entire apartment buildings.
2. Maimed beyond recognition
Children – who are seven times more likely to die from blast injuries than adults due to their still developing and vulnerable bodies – have suffered such horrific injuries from bombs and collapsed buildings that their bodies are beyond recognition.
Added to that, forensic and human rights experts can’t enter Gaza and even if they could, wouldn’t have the safety or the resources they need to identify children’s remains.
3. Mass graves
Palestinian authorities and UN experts have found mass graves in and around hospitals throughout Gaza, with hundreds of bodies, including children.
The spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights described bodies “buried deep in the ground and covered with waste”, and that some were bound and stripped of their clothes.
4. Detained, "disappeared" or abducted
Up to 3,000 people have been detained in Gaza including an unknown number of children. Detainees have reported being held in secret locations with no way of contacting loved ones, being forcibly transferred to Israel, having their identity documents confiscated, and being treated with extreme physical, psychological, and sexual violence.
More and more Palestinians, including children, have reported facing violence and abuse – including having their bones broken – after being detained without charge.
While most Israeli children who were taken hostage in the attack on 7 October have been released, two children are still reported to be held hostage in Gaza, their condition unknown.
5. Separated from their families
Since the start of the war, Israeli forces have given orders to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to pack up their things and flee within impossible timelines. Over 17,000 children have been separated from their families, or orphaned.
As Israeli forces continue to block an adequate humanitarian response, it’s almost impossible to find, identify, and support separated children – many of whom have been alone for months. It’s also hugely challenging to give unaccompanied children safe, temporary alternative care, as already-exhausted communities and families have such limited resources.
For every missing child in Gaza there’s a family waiting for news
The unknown is every parent’s worst fear. Thousands of families in Gaza face the trauma of waiting for news that isn’t coming. This type of loss is known by psychologists as "ambiguous loss" and is considered the most stressful type.
Israeli parents whose loved ones continue to be held hostage are also experiencing this type of loss.
Families are being denied closure – and will continue to hope that the missing person will return. Coping and grieving – processes which are essential for emotional recovery – are put on hold. It could lead to chronic hyper-vigilance, sorrow, anxiety or depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, addiction or abuse.
Families and friends are denied the right to mourn, honour their loved ones, and bury them properly.
To make matters worse, the family’s loss may go unmarked in the eyes of the law, meaning that if peace does come, they may never get accountability.
Together we can help protect the lives of children living in crisis in Gaza and around the world.
What is Save the Children doing?
Save the Children has been providing essential services and support to Palestinian children since 1953. Our team has been working around the clock, prepositioning vital supplies to support people in need, and working to find ways to get assistance into Gaza.
We have longstanding partnerships with local civil society organisations to support Palestinian children in detention, including with mental health support and services to help them reintegrate into their communities and schools.
Paediatric nurse Becky provides 13-year-old Solave* with pain relief while her leg wounds are cleaned and bandaged at a temporary hospital in Gaza. Photo: Sacha Myers / Save the Children.
Paediatric nurse Becky provides 13-year-old Solave* with pain relief while her leg wounds are cleaned and bandaged at a temporary hospital in Gaza. Photo: Sacha Myers / Save the Children.
Working with local partners, we're supporting unaccompanied and separated children in Gaza by providing them with emergency case management services to reduce their vulnerability to risks and link them to support networks in the local community.
We've also started reunification programmes with the support of local partners to help locate their families.
Shadi*, 8, and his cousin Aya*, 13, attend Save the Children's learning space in Gaza. Photo: Sacha Myers / Save the Children.
Shadi*, 8, and his cousin Aya*, 13, attend Save the Children's learning space in Gaza. Photo: Sacha Myers / Save the Children.
Your donation can help us provide emergency aid, shelter, food, and medical care to those affected by conflict in Gaza and around the world.
Donate today and help us be there for children living in crisis.
What we're calling for
Save the Children is calling on the international community to support efforts to create child protection systems to reunite children with their families, and care for those orphaned. We need to make sure that children don’t fall through the cracks.
Save the Children is calling on Israel as the occupying power to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross, legal counsel and human rights monitors to visit detainees, to make sure they can contact their families and be protected from cruelty.
The Government of Israel must also grant access to all UN and independent international human rights experts and forensic experts to investigate the mass graves and support in the identification of bodies.
The Government of Israel has not requested international support and has confirmed its ministries are able to cover the existing needs for Israeli children who are affected by the conflict. Like children in Gaza, children in Israel must be protected from the violence and mental harm of this war.
What can you do?
We must make sure all parties adhere to international humanitarian and human rights laws and hold to account those who break it. These laws are in place to protect children and civilians during armed conflicts.
We have to keep calling on all parties to return Gaza’s missing children, as well as those held hostage. If they’re alive, they must be reunited. If they’ve been killed, their deaths must be formally marked, their families informed, burial rites respected, and accountability sought.
Above all, we cannot stop calling for a definitive ceasefire. It’s the only way we can begin to find, support and protect all the missing children from this conflict, and begin to help piece broken families back together.
Only then can children still living be found and reunited with their loved ones. Only then can children who have been killed be identified.
Only then can their families be informed so they can finally grieve. Only then can the people who killed them be held accountable.
Only then can we see the truth and begin the search for justice and peace.
*children's names changed here to keep them safe.
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