As the Gaza Strip marks 1,000 days since Israel began its genocidal war on the enclave, Palestinian children continue to face a reality shaped by killing, hunger, orphanhood, and displacement, amid the collapse of protection and care systems, Anadolu reports.
According to official figures, the Israeli army killed more than 21,000 children and injured about 44,500 others in Gaza from Oct. 8, 2023, to early April 2026, making children among the groups most affected by Israel’s ongoing war.
The casualties did not stop even after a ceasefire entered into force on Oct. 10, 2025. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said 265 children were killed and more than 400 others injured since the ceasefire, an average of nearly one child killed every day.
In addition to those killed and wounded, more than 58,000 children have lost one or both parents since the start of the war, while thousands have been admitted to treatment programs for acute malnutrition.
The Israeli war has left deep physical and psychological scars on an entire generation, many of whom have known only bombing, displacement and fear, while also facing hunger and orphanhood.
