Alexandra Saieh, head of humanitarian policy and advocacy, told Reuters on Friday (June 21) that approximately 17,000 children in Gaza were estimated to be unaccompanied and separated, with a further 4,000 likely missing under the rubble.
Save the Children's child protection teams have reported the need for urgent action to protect separated and unaccompanied children, a task complicated by the escalating security situation.
Saieh said an unknown number of children have been detained by Israeli forces, forcibly transferred out of Gaza, or buried in unmarked graves.
"Several mass graves have been found, and an unknown number of the bodies that were found in the mass graves have been children,” said Saieh.
Saieh highlighted the difficulty in verifying the identities of the children killed, particularly those found in mass graves, due to their bodies being damaged beyond recognition.
"So many children have had their families completely wiped out, have lost all next of kin," which she said adds to the challenges of identifying victims.
The report said at least 33 Israeli children have been killed since October, with an unconfirmed number of children among those held captive in Gaza.
Around 250 Palestinian children from the West Bank were reported missing in the Israeli military detention system as of June 9, with their families being unable to confirm their whereabouts and wellbeing due to further visitation restrictions imposed since October.
Saieh emphasized the traumatic impact of the war on children, recounting cases of children so traumatised that they were unable to eat even when food is present.
She warned that the effects of the war on Gaza's children "will span generations," affecting them both physically and psychologically.
