RAFEEF ISLEEM

Gaza- Over 39,000 children have lost one or both parents since the start of Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, said a report released by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics in April 2025. These children are defenseless and struggle to survive in war-torn Gaza, with a future filled with unknowns and risks.

The story of 8-year-old Mohammed Salem is the story of thousands of children in Gaza. His 19-year-old cousin Bisan Salem now takes care of Mohammed Salem. “Mohammed is the only survivor of a family of 35,” Bisam Salem told NuJINHA. “Israeli forces destroyed the house of his family at night and his family members were buried under the rubble. Mohammed was the only one who was pulled alive from the rubble. We took him to a hospital and made great efforts to restore his health.”

That night was a nightmare for Mohammed, said Bisan Salem, who provided psychological support to Mohammed until he was able to overcome this tragedy. “Since Mohammed was the only child of his parents, he was loved and taken care of by his parents until they were killed under the rubble.”

Mohammed and his family lived in Jabalia in a building owned by his grandfather. His grandfather and uncles opened the door of the building to the displaced people. When Israeli forces attacked the building, they did not kill only the family members of Mohammed but also many displaced people.

‘He needs treatment abroad’

“Mohammed has a panic attack when he hears the sound of Israeli strikes. He cries for hours,” Bisam Salem said. Although Mohammed underwent several surgeries, he still suffers from the pain in his foot. “He needs treatment abroad in order to walk like normal children at his age.”

The severe economic conditions and famine are the greatest obstacles faced by Bisan Salem. She told us that she would never leave Mohammed despite everything. Several international organizations, which are dedicated to helping orphans, offered to adopt Mohammed and prepare all documents for him to travel abroad. “I refused their offer because I love Mohammed. He never asks me something that I cannot meet. He is a child but thinks like an adult.”

The reality faced by orphans since the beginning of the war in 2023 has been difficult and painful beyond description, said Najlaa Al-Ghalayini, a board member of Al-Amal (Hope) Orphans Institute in Gaza City. “They suffer from famine, poverty, siege, and repeated displacement, the lack of education, food, psychological, and health services.”

Al-Amal (Hope) Institute for Orphans was established in 1949, just after the Nakba, the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, as a non-governmental, not-for-profit charity organization. The organization provides shelter, care and services to Palestinian children suffering from social and economic difficulties, especially children, who have lost one or both of their parents. The organization makes efforts to find the family members of the children in order to hand over the children to them.

The organization continues to provide relief services to displaced people, never closing its doors to anyone. It also provides health, psychological, and educational services to orphaned children. “The institute hosts 200 children, who have lost one or both parents. Out of 200 children, 20 children have lost both parents. 1,200 children are still waiting for educational services because we have limited resources to provide educational services to them. Some children saw their parents were killed by Israeli forces. They need psychological support. However, we do not have financial support to provide psychological support to the children.”

Several international organizations have offered to evacuate the children and provide assistance. “The closure of all border crossings in Gaza has undermined these efforts. The door of our institute is open to everyone who wants to support orphaned children, both from inside and outside the Gaza Strip.”