Orphaned children in Gaza left with no close relatives to care for them

A growing number of children have been orphaned in Gaza since the start of the war on 7 October, a report by Reuters stated on Tuesday.

In some cases children have lost more than just both of their parents, with their entire families being killed in Israeli air strikes. 

Younis al-Ajla, a doctor involved in caring for an orphan named Razan Shabat, said that Shabat and many other children had been brought to the hospital alone.

"Many children who come to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, we don't know their names. We write 'unknown' on their entry files until one of their relatives comes and recognises them," he told Reuters, adding that this had been Razan's case for many days.

"This girl doesn't know that she lost her family, and we're responsible for her now," said Rajaa al-Jarou, who is married to an uncle of Razan's and is now caring for the girl at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza.