More than 38,000 Palestinian children have been orphaned by Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023, a Health Ministry official said on Thursday.
“At least 13,901 women were also widowed by the war,” Zaher al-Wahidi told Anadolu.
The Palestinian official explained that some 32,151 children lost their fathers, 4,417 lost their mothers, and 1,918 lost both parents.
“These figures reflect the extent of the pain that the people of Gaza have suffered, which requires everyone to work urgently to alleviate the suffering of orphans and affected families and rebuild their lives,” he added.
The first six-week phase of a Gaza ceasefire agreement took effect on Jan. 19, suspending Israel’s genocidal war that has killed nearly 47,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 111,160 since Oct. 7, 2023.
The three-phase ceasefire agreement includes a prisoner exchange and sustained calm, aiming for a permanent truce and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
The Israeli onslaught has left more than 11,000 people missing, with widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis that has claimed the lives of many elderly people and children in one of the worst global humanitarian disasters ever.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
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