The horrific toll of war upon the children and health workers in Gaza has been detailed in new reports.
Save the Children estimates approximately 21,000 children are missing in Gaza. This includes 17,000 unaccompanied and separated children, and 4,000 children buried under the rubble.
The agency says an unknown number of children are in mass graves, while 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.
Meanwhile, in a report published on 24 June, the aid agency’s child protection teams say urgent action is needed to protect separated and unaccompanied children, despite the difficulties of doing this in the deteriorating security situation.
A Save the Children child protection specialist in Gaza said: “Every day we find more unaccompanied children and every day it is harder to support them. We work through partners to identify separated and unaccompanied children and trace their families, but there are no safe facilities for them – there is no safe place in Gaza.
“Besides, reuniting them with family members is difficult when ongoing hostilities restrict our access to communities, and constantly force families to move.
“Neighbours and extended family members who have taken in lone children are struggling to meet their basic needs, such as shelter, food, and water. Many are with strangers – or completely alone – increasing the risk of violence, abuse exploitation and neglect.”
Accountability is needed
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, more than 14,000 children have been killed since 7 October, roughly half of whom have not yet been fully identified, partially due to their bodies being harmed beyond recognition.
At least 33 Israeli children have been killed since October, while it is unclear if any children are among those still being held hostage in Gaza.
As of 9 June, around 250 Palestinian children from the West Bank are missing in the Israeli military detention system, their families unable to physically confirm their whereabouts and wellbeing due to additional restrictions on visits introduced since October.
The United Nations has received numerous reports of mass detentions, ill-treatment and enforced disappearance of possibly thousands of people, including children.
Save the Children’s Regional Director for the Middle East, Jeremy Stoner, said: “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.
“Children who are missing but living are vulnerable, face grave protection risks and must be found. They must be protected and reunited with their families. For the children who have been killed, their deaths must be formally marked, their families informed, burial rites respected, and accountability sought.
“As many have pointed out, Gaza has become a graveyard for children, with thousands of others missing, their fates unknown. There must be an independent investigation and those responsible must be held accountable. We desperately need a ceasefire to find and support the missing children who have survived, and to prevent more families from being destroyed.” 
Health worker casualties
The United Nations Human Rights Office has issued a statement denouncing the reported killing of 500 health workers in Gaza since 7 October 2023.
These killings have occurred against the backdrop of systematic attacks on hospitals and other medical facilities in violation of the laws of war, the Office said in a statement on 25 June.
“As the occupying power in Gaza, Israel must fulfill its obligations under international humanitarian law to maintain medical and hospital establishments and services, public health and hygiene, and protect and respect the wounded and the sick, the infirm, expectant mothers, and children,” the statement said.
“It must also uphold its fundamental obligations under international human rights law in the occupied territory, including in relation to the right to health.”
According to the UN Human Rights Office, the latest health worker reportedly killed was Hani Al Ja’afarwi, head of Emergency and Ambulance Services at a health clinic in Gaza City, on 23 June 2024. Many health workers have also died with their family members when residential buildings were struck by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
Health workers have been subjected to other serious violations under international humanitarian and human rights law during this period. The Office said it had credible information that IDF raids on hospitals have often led to mass detention and enforced disappearances, including of medical staff.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, the number of health workers detained by IDF since 7 October stands at 310. Some released health workers have alleged they were subjected to torture and other forms of ill-treatment in Israeli custody. Two Palestinian doctors, Dr Adnan Al Bursh of Al Shifa Medical Complex and Dr Iyad Al Rantisi of Kamal Adwan Hospital, reportedly died in IDF detention in Gaza as a result of torture and ill-treatment.
“The killing, detention and enforced disappearance of health workers in Gaza, in parallel with the systematic attacks and destruction of hospitals and other medical facilities, has had a devastating impact on the people ,” said the statement. “The collapse of the healthcare system has further added to the unconscionable level of death and suffering of civilians in Gaza.”
Under international humanitarian law, intentionally directing attacks against medical personnel and hospitals that have not lost their protection are war crimes, the statement said.
“The UN Human Rights Office implores Israel to immediately cease the killing of protected people, including healthcare workers, and calls for an immediate and impartial investigation into these killings and accountability for the perpetrators. We further urge the immediate release of all arbitrarily detained health workers and for Israel to uphold the absolute prohibition of torture.”
Previously at Croakey
- Counting the environmental toll of war – and why peace is a climate solution
- Protecting healthcare from the violence of war must become a public health priority
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- Medical organisation publishes open letter expressing “extreme concern” at Australia’s failure to support ceasefire in Gaza
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