Number of unaccompanied Gaza children ‘far exceeds UN estimates’
ISTANBUL
The U.S.-based International Rescue Committee (IRC) has expressed concern that the actual number of unaccompanied children in the war-torn Gaza Strip is likely far higher than the 17,000 estimated by the U.N.'s child agency.
Doctors reported to the IRC that they have encountered children in hospitals who have no surviving family members, effectively living there alone due to the absence of alternative care options.
A U.N. survey conducted in April 2024 indicated that 41 percent of families in Gaza were caring for children who were not their ownsince last October — a figure that surpasses the usual emergency estimates of 3 to 5 percent by more than eightfold.
At the same time, UNICEF estimates that up to 19,000 children have been orphaned. While community members are stepping in to provide care, conditions remain grave, with displaced populations lacking basic resources, including food, water, adequate shelter and access to health care.
The IRC said in its report that this scarcity is heightening fears of child neglect, particularly amid recent displacements, as families may be forced to prioritize their own children over others due to limited space and resources.
“Children who are abandoned or separated from their families, as well as orphans, face particularly high risks of child labor, exploitation, neglect and mental health issues. Their access to critical resources for survival is also severely reduced,” said Ulrike Julia Wendt, the IRC’s emergency child protection coordinator.
“A psychologist I spoke to in Gaza last month mentioned many cases of children in shock, often seeking comfort and clinging to adults when they hear loud sounds. Some children have also started bed-wetting, had nightmares, and are asking to sleep under the bed to feel more secure.”
“We do not know how girls who go out to get money are obtaining it, and domestic violence, including sexual violence, is on the rise.”
Fears of hundreds of undetected polio cases in Gaza
Meanwhile, Palestinian Health Minister Majed Abu Ramadan said that the confirmation of a single polio case in Gaza indicates the possible existence of hundreds of undetected cases.
Addressing a press conference at the Health Ministry in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Ramadan stated that it is scientifically known that for every 200 virus infections, only one will show the full symptoms of polio, while the remaining cases may present mild symptoms such as a cold or a slight fever.
The Palestinian Health Ministry on Aug. 16 reported the first confirmed case of polio, involving a 10-month-old child from Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, who had not received any polio vaccination, the first polio case in 25 years in the strip.
On Aug. 16, U.N. chief Antonio Guterres called for a critical "polio pause" to facilitate a vaccination campaign in Gaza.
Polio is a viral infection that can lead to paralysis, breathing difficulties and death, primarily affecting children. It spreads through contaminated food or water. While there is no cure for polio, vaccination is highly effective in preventing the disease and reducing its prevalence.