Nearly 21,000 children are missing in Gaza since Oct 7

GAZA, June 24 (YPA) – Over 21,000 Palestinian children have been unaccounted for since Israeli occupation forces launched its war on Gaza on October 7, according to Save the Children.

This came in a statement made by the British-based organization on Monday, in which it also revealed about 17,000 children were separated from their families or went missing in Gaza, and about 4,000 children are still under the rubble or in mass graves or unknown graves.

The statement indicated that the number of children separated from their families has increased due to the escalating Israeli attacks on the city of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip, and those who protect unprotected children are exposed to pressure.

The British organization confirmed that an unknown number of children had been arrested, and indicated the possibility of them being removed from the Gaza Strip.

It pointed out that the bodies of those who got buried under the rubble or burned to death in tents during the occupation attacks have become difficult to identify.

For his part, Save the Children’s Regional Director for the Middle East Jeremy Stoner said, “It is torture for families not to know the whereabouts of their loved ones.”

He added: “No parent should dig through rubble or mass graves to find his child, and no child should remain alone and unprotected in a war zone.”

Stoner also likened Gaza to a “children’s cemetery,” reminding that the danger to living and missing children still continues.

In addition, he stressed the need for an urgent ceasefire to find the missing children and reunite them with their families if they are alive.

Since last October 7, the occupation forces have been waging a devastating war on Gaza with absolute American support, which has left more than 123,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, in addition to thousands of missing people.

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