Occupied Jerusalem, April 13 (SANA) – Childhood in the Gaza Strip has turned into a profound humanitarian tragedy amid the ongoing Israeli war, where constant bombardment and severe living conditions have made the disappearance of children a growing and painful reality for many families.
Estimates by the Palestinian Center for Missing and Forcibly Disappeared Persons indicate that more than 2,900 children remain unaccounted for in Gaza, including around 2,700 believed to be trapped beneath the rubble of destroyed buildings.
Rescue teams face major challenges in recovering them due to widespread destruction, continued bombardment, restrictions imposed by the Israeli occupation on the entry of heavy equipment needed to remove debris, and severe shortages of fuel and machinery oils.
Children lost in daily survival efforts
According to Nida Nabil, director of the center, the total number of missing people in Gaza is estimated between 7,000 and 8,000, including hundreds of children who disappeared under various circumstances.
Nabil said many children went missing while performing tasks beyond their age due to famine and harsh conditions, such as searching for food or firewood, or heading to aid distribution points located in dangerous areas under Israeli control.
Destroyed neighborhoods become mass graves
Entire neighborhoods destroyed by bombardment have effectively turned into mass graves, where the bodies of victims – including children – remain buried under rubble for extended periods because of the lack of technical and logistical resources caused by the blockade imposed on the enclave.
Under these conditions, thousands of families in Gaza continue to endure an agonizing wait, hoping to find their missing children or at least recover their remains.
Hunger threatens surviving children
Meanwhile, UN warnings continue over the deepening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, where hunger has become a deadly reality for children due to restrictions on the entry of food aid.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), hunger has become a “terrifying reality” threatening hundreds of thousands of children. More than 70,000 children in Gaza suffer from acute malnutrition, while over one million children face the risk of hunger.
Palestinian human rights organizations say this situation represents a grave violation of international humanitarian law, which guarantees families the right to know the fate of their relatives and considers enforced disappearance a crime against humanity.
The issue of missing persons and the recovery of victims’ remains one of the most complex humanitarian challenges in Gaza, especially after the Israeli war on the enclave since October 7, 2023, which has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
Kh.A
