Gaza’s missing children: More than 20,000 children are estimated to be lost, missing, detained, buried under debris or in mass graves – Palestinians engaged at great lengths

Gaza, 25 June 2024 – 21,000 (1) children are estimated to be missing in the chaos of war in Gaza, many trapped under debris, in detention, buried in unmarked graves, or missing from their families, Save the Children said. The company’s child policy teams are reporting that the real displacement caused by the attack in Rafah has left more children separated and increased pressure on the families and communities that care for them.

It is almost impossible to collect and verify data under the wave conditions in Gaza, but at least 17,000 children are believed to be unaccompanied and separated and approximately 4,000 children are likely missing under the debris (2), including An unknown number are also involved. Cluster graves. Others were forcibly disappeared, including an unknown number detained and forcibly transferred out of Gaza, with their families left without knowledge of their whereabouts amid reports of ill-treatment and torture.

Meanwhile, aid company child coverage groups warn of the urgent action needed to provide protection to isolated and unaccompanied children – this action is critically weakened by the deteriorating protection situation.

The Save the Youngsters kid coverage specialist in Gaza noted:

“At each opportunity we find more unaccompanied children and at each opportunity it becomes harder to support them. We work through partners to find isolated and unaccompanied children and locate their families, but there is no one for them There are no security features – There is no security playground in Gaza But still, it is hard to reintegrate them with the people of the country when ongoing hostilities bar our entry into communities, and repeatedly drive families out. Forces you to leave.

“Neighbors and extended family members who have adopted unaccompanied children are struggling to meet basic needs like shelter, food and water. Many people are with strangers – or completely alone – at increased risk of violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect.

Casualties of soldiers have been reported following actual attacks by Israeli forces in Rafah. Then in an attack, UN officials noted that there were reports of ‘people trapped inside burning plastic tents’ and being ‘burned alive’, and the Gaza Health Ministry reported ‘bodies burnt beyond recognition’ . Save the Youngsters warned that it is almost impossible to confirm the identity of a body by immediate relatives when the entire house has burned down and equipment and technicians cannot get inside due to entry restrictions.

According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 14,000 children have been killed since October 7, most of whom have not yet been fully identified, partly due to the damage their bodies are being exposed to (3 ). According to UN experts, people recently found in cluster graves include children, many showing signs of torture and abstract executions, as well as possible cases of the population being buried alive.

At least 33 Israeli children have been killed since October, with it unclear this month whether any children were among those still being held in Gaza. As of June 9, approximately 250 Palestinian children from the West Locker are missing in the Israeli military detention system, with their families unable to physically confirm their whereabouts and well-being due to backup restrictions on visits since October.

The United Nations has received diverse experiences of cluster detention, ill-treatment and forced disappearance of potentially hundreds of thousands of people, including youth.

Save the Youngsters’ Heart East regional director, Jeremy Stoner, noted:

“Family members are tortured by raising doubts about their whereabouts. Parents have to dig through debris or mass graves to find their child’s body. The child who refuses must be rejected, unprotected in a war zone. A child who refuses should be detained or held hostage.

“Children who are missing but alive are vulnerable, face serious security risks and must be found. They should be protected and reunited with their families. For children who die, their deaths should be formally marked, their families informed, burial rites should be respected, and accountability should be demanded. As many have reported, Gaza has become a graveyard for children, with thousands more missing, their fate unknown. There must be an independent investigation and those responsible must be held accountable. “We desperately need a ceasefire to find and support missing children and to prevent more families from being destroyed.”

Save the Youngsters has been providing vital products and services and support to Palestinian youth since 1953. The Save the Youngsters group in Gaza is working with local partners to identify and support unaccompanied youth. This includes control over individual child coverage matters, funding for caregivers of incoming separated children, psychosocial support, and offering crowd monitoring and engagement. Save the Youngsters additionally provides access to child-friendly areas and products and services such as diet and condition assistance.

-ENDS-

notes

(1) Save the Youngsters estimates that approximately 21,000 youth are missing in Gaza. This includes 17,000 unaccompanied and separated children, and 4,000 children buried under debris (see 2 below). Save the Youngsters put those estimates at around 21,000 youth missing in Gaza, or as high as 20,000.

(2) The United Nations estimates that 10,000 of the population in Gaza are buried under debris, and similarly estimates that 40% of those killed in Gaza are youth. Save the Youngsters estimates that around 4,000 children may be buried under debris in Gaza.

(3) According to actual data from the Ministry of Health in Gaza, more than 14,100 children were killed in Gaza since October 7, of whom 7,779 were known. This means that approximately 7,797 children killed in the war have been identified this month, leaving almost a quarter of the total number of children killed (6,303) yet to be identified. Health Ministry says documentation process to determine full details of casualties ongoing