Amman, Jordan, March 30, 2026 - A new assessment by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) finds that months of hostilities, displacement and an estimated 72,000 civilian deaths in Gaza are reshaping family structures and leaving a growing number of children without parental care, leaving communities and children to rely on informal kinship care arrangements. In many cases, extended family members such as grandparents, aunts and uncles have stepped in to care for children who have lost contact with, or been separated from, their parents. While these arrangements often provide an immediate safety net, they are increasingly under strain as families struggle with displacement, limited resources and ongoing insecurity.

The assessment also underscores the long-term nature of many separations. For many families, displacement, ongoing violence and restrictions on movement make it difficult to trace relatives or safely reunite children with parents. Even where relatives are able to provide care, the absence of formal guardianship systems means many children remain in legal and administrative uncertainty, which can complicate access to services and longer-term stability.

Children separated from their parents face a range of protection risks in the current environment. The prolonged crisis has placed significant pressure on caregivers and increased the likelihood of children experiencing economic exploitation, hazardous labor, or early marriage. Many children are also showing signs of psychological distress linked to trauma, loss and repeated displacement.

Despite the scale of the challenge, support for families caring for separated children remains limited, leaving many households, who are already struggling to meet their own basic needs, to shoulder additional responsibilities alone.

Ulrike Julia, Child Protection Coordinator for the IRC in the occupied Palestinian territory, said,

"Children in Gaza have endured immense loss over the past few years. Many have been separated from their parents during displacement or after losing family members to the violence. What we are seeing now is communities doing everything they can to care for these children, often with very little support themselves. Family-based care is the best option for most children, but these arrangements cannot hold without sustained assistance."

The IRC is warning that without urgent investment in child protection services including case management, psychosocial support, cash assistance for caregivers and stronger legal coordination, families' ability to safely care for separated children will continue to erode. Strengthening kinship care and addressing guardianship gaps is critical to protecting children and preventing further harm. However, the sustained assistance the communities need requires an end to all hostilities and unimpeded humanitarian access.