Over 20,000 Palestinian children missing, Save the Children reports

More than 20,000 Palestinian children are missing in Gaza as a result of Israel’s ongoing assault on the enclave, according to a report released by Save the Children Monday.

The U.K.-based charity highlighted the severe difficulties in gathering and verifying information because of the ongoing conflict, with many children believed to be trapped beneath rubble, detained, buried in unmarked graves, or separated from their families.

Israel dropped 75,000 tonnes of explosives, an equivalent of  6 nuclear bombs

Israeli forces have dropped 75,000 tonnes of explosives on Gaza, equating to the power of six nuclear bombs. This has reduced homes, schools, hospitals and places of worship to rubble, exacerbating the dire situation.

According to the U.N., over 60% of homes in Gaza, the most densely populated area on Earth, have sustained damage.

The charity’s statement emphasized the challenges of operating under current conditions in Gaza, where relentless ground and air attacks continue.

4,000 children missing under rubble

Save the Children estimates that at least 17,000 children are unaccompanied and separated, and approximately 4,000 children are likely missing under the rubble. The fate of an unknown number of children buried in mass graves remains unclear.

“Others have been forcibly disappeared, including an unknown number detained and forcibly transferred out of Gaza, their whereabouts unknown to their families amidst reports of ill-treatment and torture,” the organization added.

Families are tortured by the uncertainty of the whereabouts of their loved ones. No parent should have to dig through rubble or mass graves to try and find their child’s body. No child should be alone, unprotected in a war zone. No child should be detained or held hostage

Jeremy Stoner, Save the Children’s Regional Director for the Middle East

Since the Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas, which resulted in 1,200 deaths, Israeli military actions have claimed the lives of over 37,000 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children.

The humanitarian crisis has escalated, with ongoing trials at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) concerning allegations of genocide against Israel.