Three children rotate between aunts after bomb kills their mother

Mariam, 16, Aya, 14, and Jebril, 12, pack their belongings every two days. The Abu Asser siblings move from one aunt's tent to another in central Gaza. They have followed this routine since their mother, Islam, died in an Israeli airstrike. The bomb hit their makeshift shelter in Deir al-Balah on the nineteenth day after the ceasefire began on 10 October 2025. Jebril was sitting in his mother's lap when the strike occurred and sustained injuries.

The Palestinian Ministry of Social Development in Gaza lists the siblings among 54,468 children who have lost one or both parents since October 2023. The ministry reports at least 64,000 widows and 71,000 orphaned children across the territory. This count includes those bereaved in earlier Israeli military attacks. Registration data shows approximately 3,000 children have no registered guardian, custodian, or caregiver.

Warda al-Muzeini, the children's aunt, said the family has no stable home. The trio primarily stays with their paternal grandmother but rotates between their maternal aunts, spending two nights at each location. Muzeini lost her husband in an Israeli air strike and now raises four children alone without a job. She stated she struggles to provide one meal a day. The aunts share the financial burden, with one buying pyjamas, another purchasing slippers, and a third providing pocket money for a few days.

Aziza al-Kahlout, a ministry spokesperson, said the statistics do not reflect the daily suffering of these families. She noted that a child who loses both parents loses care, safety, and education. Kahlout warned of growing risks of child labor, school dropout, and early marriage driven by poverty and displacement. She said orphaned children face heightened exposure as economic conditions worsen and shelter remains scarce.

Wafaa al-Attar, 13, lost her entire family in a single strike on 22 February 2024. She was 10 when she left her home in Deir al-Balah to charge her father's phone at her uncle's house. A blast struck the multi-storey building where her family was. The air strike killed her father Ahmed, her mother Khouloud, and four siblings: Rital, 8; Muhammed, 5; Obada, 3; and Yazan, 9 months. Al-Attar suffered minor shrapnel injuries and was hospitalized. She asked about her family until her uncle arrived and told her they had died. She later moved in with her uncle, his wife, and their newborn.

The ministry has scheduled continued registration efforts for minors without guardians. The next update on the orphan count is expected in the coming weeks. Al-Attar said she wished she had been killed with her family but was told her father wanted her to stay strong. She acknowledged that no one could replace her own family.