Save the Children estimates 21,000 children missing in Gaza
A report published by British aid group Save the Children on June 24th found that up to 21,000 children are estimated to be missing in Gaza. At least 17,000 are thought to be separated from their parents while another 4,000 are likely trapped beneath rubble, The New Arab and agencies reported.
“My parents, my mum — I don’t know where they are,” said one little boy. He was separated from his family following Israel’s June 7th attack on Gaza’s Nuseirat school that left 40 dead.
“Parents are facing anguish not knowing where their children are [and] not being able to protect them or give them dignified burials,” said Alexandra Saieh, Save the Children’s Head of Humanitarian Policy and Advocacy.
Children’s bodies have been found in mass graves, showing signs of summary executions, torture and being buried alive. Many have been harmed beyond recognition.
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It is speculated that others have been abducted, with some even suspected to have been forcibly transferred to Israel and detained in secret locations. “There are an unknown number of Palestinian children detained from Gaza, likely being tortured by Israeli forces at Israeli prisons in southern Israel,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, Accountability Programme Director at Defense for Children International Palestine (DCIP).
As of April, the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights estimated that approximately 1,650 Palestinians from Gaza — including children — were detained by Israeli forces under the Unlawful Combatants Law, depriving detainees of judicial review and due process rights.
Though Save the Children’s report indicated that it is “nearly impossible” to collect and verify information due to the lack of resources in Gaza. The number of children who have potentially been detained or separated from their families could be higher than anticipated.
UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban said that the UN could not verify thousands of reported cases of killed and maimed children because of blocked access to specific areas in Gaza.
READ: UN report says 1 in 5 Gazans suffer acute food insecurity
“As many have pointed out, Gaza has become a graveyard for children, with thousands of others missing, their fates unknown,” Save the Children’s Middle East Director Jeremy Stoner said. “There must be an independent investigation and those responsible must be held accountable.”
According to health officials, around 40% of the casualties from Israel’s war on Gaza are children. Gaza is also considered the most dangerous place in the world for children.
“Children are the ones paying the heaviest price,” UNICEF’s Communication Specialist in the State of Palestine Kazem Abu Khalaf said. “They are badly traumatised.”
He urged that a ceasefire is the only immediate solution.
The New Arab and agencies
