Islamic Relief is heartbroken to report that 117 children and young people cared for by our Orphan Sponsorship Programme in Gaza are now known to have been killed.
In the last 8 months more than 36,000 Palestinian people, including women and children, have been killed in Gaza. The grim death toll continues to rise as the crisis escalates, with Islamic Relief’s team on the ground doing all they can to deliver humanitarian aid – including through our Orphan Sponsorship Programme.
We have rapidly expanded our sponsorship programme, with the backing of generous Islamic Relief supporters worldwide, and now support over 14,000 orphans in Gaza. The programme provides financial support to thousands of the most vulnerable families, whom our incredible colleagues in Gaza are working tirelessly to support despite the challenges.
With around 75% of Gaza’s population displaced, often repeatedly, telecommunications restricted, and travel dangerous, even keeping in touch with families for regular welfare checks is very hard. Where an orphan’s whereabouts is now unknown, Islamic Relief social workers do everything they can to help locate them, but this can take a long time. Often, the first clue that something is wrong is sponsorship money in the payment system – which families access using an ATM card – going uncollected for a sustained period.
The team’s responsibilities now include going through a quarterly Ministry of Health list of the dead to identify any sponsored orphan or guardian that has been killed; and working to confirm this information. Sadly, we can now confirm the deaths of 64 sponsored children and young people, as well as 53 who were previously supported by the Orphan Sponsorship Programme.
Sponsored children as young as 5 killed
Omar had recently turned 5 when he was killed, making him the youngest sponsored child known to have died. A very energetic little boy, he was always on the move. He loved being outside, playing, swinging, jumping, and riding his bike. An adventurous spirit, he climbed everything and was a playful, happy, friendly, and fun child. Part of a loving, happy family, Omar lived with his mother, siblings, and grandparents in Gaza City. His mother dreamed that Omar would become an engineer when he grew up.
Omar was only 5 when he died
Aysha died just a month after her 12th birthday. She had spent her last summer holiday at a summer camp, determined, as always, to live life to the fullest. Described by her Islamic Relief social worker as a “friendly, brave and polite girl”, Aysha had been thriving at school and aspired to become a doctor. She liked to read, draw, and paint. She lived with her big family in Al Nusairat City and had been enrolled in Islamic Relief’s Orphan Sponsorship Programme since 2016.
12 year old Aysha wanted to live life to the fullest
A polite, sporty teenager, Ayman loved football and gymnastics. He was a caring son, helping his mother, who had rheumatoid arthritis, with housework and shopping. He lived with her as well as his stepfather and 2 siblings in a modest flat in Jabalia City. Ayman dreamed of becoming a doctor, and had been supported by the Islamic Relief Orphan Sponsorship Programme for over a decade. He was killed shortly after his 17th birthday.
Ayman, 17, was a caring boy who wanted to be a doctor
The youngest of 5 children, Sajeda, 8, was living with her mother and siblings in a flat in Middle City when the escalation began. Known for her friendly and calm personality, she loved drawing, playing with dolls, and watching cartoons. Her favourite subject at school was Arabic language and she too hoped to become a doctor one day. She died alongside her mother.
Sajeda, 8, died alongside her mother
Courageous and helpful Ahmed also died with his mother, with whom he had lived in Gaza City. The smart 11 year old liked reading stories and watching cartoons, and loved to swim and cycle. His favourite subject was mathematics and, hoping to become a police officer or teacher in the future, was working to improve his school grades. Islamic Relief had been sponsoring Ahmed since he was a baby.
Ahmed,11, had been sponsored by Islamic Relief since he was a baby
Happy and friendly, Saly always had a ready smile. She enjoyed reading, dancing, taking photos and swimming. A university student, she looked forward becoming a pharmacist and helping provide for her mother and sister, Rawan, with whom she lived in a flat in Rafah City before the escalation. She lost her life aged 21-years old.
University student Saly, 21, hoped to help provide for her mother and sister
Orphaned children left without guardians
Some 72 guardians of sponsored orphans are now known to have been killed: 21 died alongside their child, while others leave behind children grieving the loss of their only caregiver. With 24 sponsored orphans left without a guardian, Islamic Relief is working to identify surviving relatives to take on the role of guardian and collect Islamic Relief sponsorship money to provide for the child.
Islamic Relief offices around the world are breaking the news to sponsors of the children and young people that have died. Many of our incredible sponsors are agreeing to continue their sponsorship of the grief-stricken family for 6-12 months, to avoid adding to their hardship. Wherever possible we transfer sponsorship to a sibling, which means the family does not lose the support from the programme. If that is not possible, we are moving the sponsorship to support another child newly enrolled on the Orphan Sponsorship Programme.
We fear that the death toll of sponsored orphans and guardians may increase. The dire situation in Gaza means that there are many Palestinians missing, having been displaced multiple times, or whose bodies have not been recovered from the debris of destroyed buildings.
As we reflect on the sponsored children, young people and their guardians killed alongside tens of thousands of other Palestinians, Islamic Relief redoubles our efforts to press for action to end the suffering of ordinary families in Gaza.
We urge the Islamic Relief family – our supporters, volunteers, staff, and partners – to join us in calling on world leaders to bring about an immediate and lasting ceasefire.
