ICSPR Issues a Humanitarian Report Titled: “A Generation Without Support” on the Situation of Orphans in the Gaza Strip
Date: March 18, 2026
Press Release
ICSPR Issues a Humanitarian Report Titled: “A Generation Without Support” on the Situation of Orphans in the Gaza Strip
The International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) has issued a field-based humanitarian report titled: “A Generation Without Support,” prepared by researcher Lubna Al-Deeb. The report sheds light on the worsening humanitarian conditions of orphaned children in the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing war and the serious repercussions threatening the future of an entire generation.
The report indicates that the war has led to an unprecedented rise in the number of orphans, exceeding 57,000 children, compared to approximately 17,000 before the war, reflecting the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe, particularly as children constitute nearly half of the population in the Gaza Strip.
It further explains that thousands of orphans are facing harsh living conditions, including shortages of food and clothing, lack of income sources, and near-total reliance on humanitarian aid, alongside a widespread economic collapse and poverty rates exceeding 95%. Additionally, around 60,000 children are at risk of acute malnutrition due to food shortages and insufficient aid.
The report highlights that the loss of a breadwinner has forced many children into early labor to support their families, including working in informal jobs such as street vending or collecting recyclable materials, depriving them of education and exposing them to long-term psychological and social harm.
It also documents the destruction of orphan care institutions and child-focused facilities, as well as the targeting of schools and kindergartens, further exacerbating children’s suffering and limiting their access to care, education, and psychological support.
The report addresses the challenges faced by charitable organizations in supporting orphans, including insufficient funding, inadequate sponsorship amounts to meet basic needs, and the absence of a unified database, resulting in many children being excluded from consistent support.
Moreover, the report highlights the psychological and social impacts of orphanhood, with children experiencing anxiety, fear, sleep disorders, low self-esteem, feelings of deprivation and social stigma, as well as bearing responsibilities beyond their age.
In its conclusion, ICSPR warns that these conditions risk creating a generation deprived of care and stability, calling for urgent intervention to improve the situation of orphans through unifying sponsorship systems, increasing financial support, enhancing psychological support programs, ensuring the protection of children’s dignity during aid distribution, and economically empowering mothers.
The Commission stressed that protecting orphans in the Gaza Strip is an urgent humanitarian and legal responsibility that requires coordinated local and international efforts to ensure a safe and dignified future for them.
