Gaza Ministry Records 54,468 Orphans as Widows Struggle to Provide

The Palestinian Ministry of Social Development in Gaza has recorded 54,468 children who have lost one or both parents since the war began in October 2023.

The ministry states there are at least 64,000 widows and 71,000 orphaned children across the territory. This count includes those bereaved in earlier Israeli military attacks. The orphan registration system indicates that approximately 3,000 children currently lack a registered guardian, custodian, or caregiver.

The data reflects a growing burden on women who are now the sole providers for their families. Warda al-Muzeini, an aunt to three orphaned siblings, lost her husband in an Israeli air strike. She now raises four children without a job or reliable income. Al-Muzeini says she struggles to provide even one meal a day.

The three siblings, Mariam, 16, Aya, 14, and Jebril, 12, have lived with their maternal aunts since their mother, Islam, died. Their father died during the 2014 offensive. Their home in Gaza City was destroyed during the 2023 conflict. The family took shelter in a tent in Deir al-Balah. On the 19th day after the October 10, 2025, ceasefire, an Israeli bomb hit the tent, killing Islam in front of the children.

Al-Muzeini told Middle East Eye that the children have no stable home. They mostly stay with their paternal grandmother but rotate between maternal aunts. Each aunt hosts the children for two nights. The sisters share the costs of care, with one buying pyjamas, another buying slippers, and another providing pocket money for a few days.

Jebril was sitting in his mother's lap when the bomb struck. He was injured in the blast. Al-Muzeini said, "He saw his mother die in front of him."

Ministry spokesperson Aziza al-Kahlout said the numbers do not capture the daily suffering. She stated that children who lose both parents lose care, safety, education, and childhood. Kahlout warned of "deeply alarming signs of growing risks of child labour, school dropout and early marriage in Gaza." She attributed these trends to poverty, displacement, and the loss of family breadwinners.

Wafaa al-Attar, 13, lost her entire family in a separate air strike on February 22, 2024. She was 10 when she left her home in Deir al-Balah to charge her father's phone at her uncle's house. A blast destroyed the building, killing her father, mother, and four siblings. Attar suffered minor shrapnel injuries. She stayed with her grandparents before moving in with her uncle. Attar said, "All of them at once?"