Gaza Ministry of Social Development reports increase in number of registered orphans

The Ministry of Social Development in Gaza said on Thursday that the number of registered orphans in the territory has risen to 65,279, including 54,468 children who it said lost one or both parents during the war.

In a statement, the ministry said 2,039 children had been added to its records after 10th  October 2025.

The ministry also reported that the number of registered widows had reached 28,224, including 742 women who were widowed during the same period.

According to the ministry, the figures reflect a worsening humanitarian and social situation, which it attributed to the continued conflict, repeated displacement, and the reduction of safe areas for civilians.

The ministry said its teams had documented damage to or strikes affecting more than 20 shelters and displacement camps, resulting in more than 638 families losing their homes completely, in addition to damage to more than 163 tents.

It also reported that shrinking shelter capacity and shifting front lines had forced more than 800 newly displaced families to sleep in the open.

The ministry said shelters were no longer able to provide even minimum levels of protection and called on the international community and mediators to take urgent action to end the fighting and ensure protection for displaced civilians.

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