Gaza, April 01 (QNA) - Assistant undersecretary of the Ministry of Social Development in the Gaza Strip Riyad Al Bitar said that Israel's genocidal war against the Strip, which began on October 7, 2023, led to a sharp rise in the number of orphans, hitting around 64,000.

Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Al Bitar warned of unprecedented humanitarian consequences facing these children and called for an urgent intervention to save them.

Before the war, the number of orphans in Gaza stood at around 17,000, only to multiply during the conflict, Al Bitar added.

The assistant undersecretary said that the war left 64,616 children as orphans, amongst them 55,157 who lost their breadwinner during the war.

He said that Gaza Governorate has the highest proportion, with 21,125 orphans, representing 32.7 percent of the Strip's total.

On Arab Orphan Day marked on April 1, orphans in Gaza are living under unprecedented humanitarian conditions, facing challenges that go beyond the loss of parents, including forced displacement, loss of shelter, disruption of healthcare and education, and severe shortages of food and medicine, the assistant undersecretary continued.

He stressed that the situation requires urgent intervention from both local and international organizations, focusing on key areas such as providing monthly financial sponsorship and basic living needs, rebuilding child-focused facilities destroyed during the war, and offering intensive psychological support programs to help them cope with loss and trauma.

Similarly, Al Bitar pointed out that the number of widowed women in Gaza has risen to 47,019, describing the figures as alarming and reflective of the scale of humanitarian and social consequences caused by the war.

He noted that figures indicate a serious worsening of social crises, with a sharp increase in the number of widows due to wartime conditions, with their number jumping from 20,649 before the war to 26,370 afterwards.

The assistant undersecretary pointed out that the geographic distribution of cases vary: Gaza Governorate ranks first with 37.8 percent, followed by North Gaza (22.5 percent), Khan Younis (18.3 percent), central Gaza (13.2 percent), and Rafah (8.2 percent).

Al Bitar highlighted that this high rise is not the only major concern, as most of the widowed women fall within the productive age group (19–59 years), accounting for 84.6 percent, while only 14.9 percent of widows are over 60 years old, in addition to 0.4 percent of them being under 18, posing exceptional legal and social responsibilities to protect them.

Despite limited resources, the Ministry has developed an urgent response plan that includes a range of development and relief programs. These include small home-based projects, cash-for-work initiatives, intensive vocational training, psychological and social support, monthly food aid, regular financial assistance for widows, educational support programs, legal protection, and the establishment of integrated educational centers and shelter camps. (QNA)