1,000 days of Gaza war: children killed, orphaned and starving under ongoing devastation
As Gaza marks 1,000 days since the start of Israel’s war on the enclave, Palestinian children continue to endure mass killing, displacement, hunger and loss of family support amid the collapse of basic protection systems.
Official figures cited by Palestinian authorities indicate that more than 21,000 children have been killed and over 44,000 injured since October 2023, making children one of the most affected groups. Even after a ceasefire in October 2025, UNICEF reports that hundreds more children have been killed and injured, averaging nearly one child killed per day.
The humanitarian toll extends beyond deaths and injuries. More than 58,000 children have reportedly lost one or both parents, while thousands suffer from acute malnutrition requiring urgent treatment. Many face life-altering injuries, including amputations, with medical systems unable to cope due to shortages and infrastructure collapse.
A Palestinian statistics report also highlights that thousands of infants and young children were among the dead, including newborns and children under five, describing the scale of loss as the destruction of a generation.
Documented cases illustrate the human impact, including premature babies who died after being cut off from hospital care, children killed in airstrikes, and widely reported incidents such as Hind Rajab, a six-year-old girl killed while seeking rescue, and other children whose deaths became symbols of the war’s impact on civilians.
UNICEF has also reported continued child deaths and injuries after the ceasefire, stressing that many were killed in homes, schools, or while playing, warning against normalising such levels of violence.
Hunger has become another major cause of death. Dozens of children have reportedly died from malnutrition and freezing conditions in displacement camps, while thousands more have been admitted for treatment of acute food insecurity. A large share of children are said to suffer from severe dietary deprivation, with limited access to diverse or sufficient food.
The situation has also produced a generation of orphans, with more than 58,000 children estimated to have lost one or both parents. Many are now living in extreme poverty, displacement, and psychological distress without stable care or protection.
Since the war began, overall Palestinian casualties have exceeded tens of thousands, alongside widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure across Gaza, leaving much of the territory in ruins and its population facing a prolonged humanitarian catastrophe.
