Gaza (Quds News Network)- Tens of thousands of Palestinian children in Gaza have lost their parents since the start of Israel’s assault on the besieged enclave, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) said. In a statement issued on Thursday, the eve of Palestinian Children’s Day, PCBS said 39,384 children in Gaza have lost one or both parents after more than 530 days of Israel’s assault. Among them are about 17,000 children who have been deprived of both parents since October 2023, when Israel launched its genocidal offensive, the bureau said. “These children are living in tragic conditions, with many forced to take refuge in torn tents or destroyed homes, in a near-total absence of social care and psychological support,” the statement by the bureau said. “The Gaza Strip is suffering from the largest orphan crisis in modern history.” According to the statement, at least 17,954 children have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, including 274 newborn babies and 876 infants below the age of one year. “Seventeen children also froze to death in the tents sheltering displaced people, and 52 others died of starvation and systematic malnutrition,” it added. The bureau warned that 60,000 children are at risk of death due to severe levels of malnutrition and looming famine. The report said that since October 2023, Israeli forces detained more than 1,055 children, mostly in the West Bank, in what it said was an “unprecedented” escalation against Palestinian children. More than 350 remain held in Israeli prison facilities.