Gaza's Children Face Unimaginable Trauma Amid Conflict: Over 18,000 Lives Lost, Thousands Orphaned

October 6, 2025
Gaza's Children Face Unimaginable Trauma Amid Conflict: Over 18,000 Lives Lost, Thousands Orphaned
  • The family now relies heavily on aid from NGOs for food, enduring daily walks to charity kitchens in a landscape scarred by war, inflation, and food shortages.

  • While Israel denies targeting children, a UN report accuses Israel of genocide and directly targeting children, though Israel dismisses these claims.

  • Ten-year-old Siraj Mohamed, originally from Jabalia, has spent the last two years living in a makeshift camp amid relentless fear, loss, and destruction caused by ongoing conflict.

  • Siraj’s older brother, Nasr, went missing while trying to retrieve family belongings, adding to the family's grief and deepening Siraj’s emotional trauma.

  • There is a pressing need for global awareness and support, emphasizing mental health resources, education, and advocacy to help Gaza’s children recover and rebuild their sense of safety and innocence.

  • Children in Gaza are suffering from severe physical injuries, skin conditions, and psychological trauma, with early signs of long-term mental health issues emerging across the population.

  • The war has claimed over 18,000 children's lives and left nearly 40,000 orphaned, with Gaza having the highest per capita child amputations worldwide, highlighting the brutal physical toll.

  • Siraj's family has faced displacement multiple times, moving south to Khan Yunis after October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, with living conditions worsening amid bombardment and scarce resources.

  • Siraj was traumatized after witnessing a drone stalker at night, which caused him to refuse sleeping alone and exhibited signs of severe psychological distress.

  • Despite the devastation, Siraj dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon and hopes to escape Gaza, which he describes as completely destroyed and unlivable.

  • The destruction of Gaza’s infrastructure has deprived over 785,000 children of education, destroying schools and stripping children of normal childhood experiences, a process known as unchilding.

  • Many children have lost one or both parents, with about 40,000 considered orphans, and even those with parents face shattered safety and trust due to ongoing violence.

Summary based on 2 sources


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