Gaza Ministry Records 54,468 Orphans as Widows Manage Care

The cost of raising a child in Gaza has shifted from parental budgets to the strained resources of widowed relatives. The Palestinian Ministry of Social Development in Gaza reported that 54,468 children have lost one or both parents since the war began in October 2023.

The ministry’s data indicates that the territory is home to at least 64,000 widows and 71,000 orphaned children. This count includes those bereaved in earlier Israeli military attacks. The ministry’s orphan registration system identifies approximately 3,000 children who have no registered guardian, custodian, or caregiver.

For many families, the financial burden is distributed among multiple aunts or relatives. Mariam, 16, Aya, 14, and Jebril, 12, move between aunts’ tents every two days. Their mother, Islam, died on the 19th day after the ceasefire took effect on 10 October 2025, when an Israeli bomb hit their shelter in Deir al-Balah. The children had already lost their father during Israel’s 2014 offensive.

Warda al-Muzeini, the children’s aunt, stated that the siblings have no stable home. They mostly stay with their paternal grandmother but rotate between maternal aunts, spending two nights with each. Al-Muzeini lost her own husband in an Israeli air strike and now raises four children alone without a job or reliable income. She reported struggling to provide even one meal a day.

The sisters share the financial load to cover basic needs. One aunt buys pyjamas, another purchases slippers, and a third provides enough pocket money for the children to last a couple of days. This division of labor reflects the lack of a single income source to support the extended family.

Aziza al-Kahlout, the ministry’s spokesperson, stated that the figures do not capture the daily suffering involved. She noted that children who lose both parents lose care, safety, and education, often forced to carry responsibilities beyond their years. Women who become the sole breadwinners face the dual burden of providing for and raising children amid devastation.

Al-Kahlout warned of growing risks of child labour, school dropout, and early marriage driven by poverty and displacement. She said orphaned children are especially exposed as economic and humanitarian conditions worsen and adequate shelter remains scarce. The ministry’s data highlights the scale of the demographic shift without providing a specific budget for state support.

Wafaa al-Attar, 13, lost her father, mother, and four siblings in a single air strike on 22 February 2024 in Deir al-Balah. She was at her uncle’s house to charge her father’s phone when the blast struck. She stayed with her grandparents before moving in with her uncle and his wife. Al-Attar said she wished she had been killed with her family, a sentiment that underscores the psychological and economic weight of surviving the conflict.