“I’m the Sole Survivor”: What Gaza Orphans Say After Two Years of Israeli Genocide

After two years of unending Israeli bombardment, countless children have been torn from their families, and many are hard to trace.

According to data from UNICEF and the Palestinian Health Ministry in early September, 2,596 children have lost both parents, while another 53,724 have lost one, 47,804 their fathers and 5,920 their mothers.

The war in Gaza has left thousands of children behind, alone, grieving, and often critically wounded.

After two years of genocide, here’s some of what Gaza’s parentless children say:

• “Imagine living six months without your father or mother, carrying the heavy responsibility of caring for your younger siblings. I feel like I’m 35 years old.”

– A child whose father was killed before his eyes, and who was later abducted with his mother by Israeli forces before being released.

• “After I started to recover, my aunt told me that my family, may Allah have mercy on them, were killed. I’m the only survivor of my entire family, and I miss them so much.”

– Dima Abu Shakyan, after realizing she was the only survivor of her family, who were killed in an Israeli attack in October 2023.

• “I’m the only survivor of my entire family… I woke up to find the whole house collapsed on top of me. I started calling for my mother, father, and siblings, but no one answered.”

– Samir Al-Mashharawi, a child who lost his entire family in an Israeli airstrike on their home in March 2025, which killed nine people including five children.

• “I was pulled out from under the rubble with my niece. The next day, I was shocked to learn that I had lost my father, my mother, and some of my siblings. After that, my whole life was shattered.”

– A child from Gaza lost his parents and several siblings when an Israeli airstrike struck their home.

• “I lost my brothers, my father, and my mother. At first, I didn’t understand what had happened, but when I did, I went into shock. When I dream of them, I don’t feel happy — I wake up crying.”

– A young girl from Gaza lost her parents and siblings in an airstrike in December 2023.