Aid Group Says Some 21,000 Children Missing in Gaza
The British charity stated, "It is nearly impossible to collect and verify information under the current conditions in Gaza, but at least 17,000 children are believed to be unaccompanied and separated and approximately 4,000 children are likely missing under the rubble, with an unknown number also in mass graves."
Further distressing details emerged as the group reported, "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 statement comes as according to the official death toll published by the Gaza Media Office, more than 15,000 children are among the at least 37,700 Palestinians killed by Israeli aggression since October 7.
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Meanwhile, the peril for Gaza's children extends beyond the immediate violence. The media office last week highlighted a critical shortage of essential supplies, stating, "More than 3,500 Palestinian children are at risk of starving to death due to the extreme shortage of milk, nutritional supplements, vaccines, and children’s food in the Gaza Strip."
The statement underscored the dire circumstances of 335,000 children living in harsh conditions, suffering from "acute malnutrition, affecting their bodies, exposing them to infectious diseases, hindering their growth, and threatening their survival."
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The blockade by the Israeli regime, particularly after taking control of the Rafah crossing on May 7, has exacerbated the crisis, preventing vital humanitarian aid from reaching the beleaguered population of Gaza.
The ongoing siege has led to a severe scarcity of clean water, food, and medicine, plunging Gaza into a catastrophic humanitarian situation, with over half of the territory's infrastructure now in ruins.
Source: Agencies
