As many as 21,000 children have gone missing in Gaza since the war began, according to Save the Children.
The nongovernmental organization said in a statement on Monday that at least 4,000 children have likely been buried under the rubble of buildings destroyed during the fighting. At least 17,000 are believed to be have been separated from their families and unaccompanied.
“Others have been forcibly ‘disappeared,’ including an unknown number detained and transferred out of Gaza, their whereabouts unknown to their families amidst reports of ill-treatment and torture,” the statement read.
CNN could not independently verify Save the Children’s estimates.
The organization added that Israel’s current offensive in Rafah had forcibly “separated more children and further increased the strain on families and communities caring for them.”
“Every day we find more unaccompanied children and every day it is harder to support them,” a Save the Children child protection specialist in Gaza said.
“There is no safe place in Gaza,” the specialist, who was not named for security reasons, added.
What Israel said: The Israeli military says the Save the Children report is based on numbers provided by the Ministry of Health in Gaza, which is governed by Hamas.
Abhinav Thawait is a globe-trotting correspondent with a passion for international affairs. With a background in international relations, he offers a global perspective on the most pressing issues around the world. Abhinav’s curiosity takes his to the far corners of the earth, where he seeks to share untold stories and diverse viewpoints.
