Nearly 21,000 children are unaccounted for in Gaza, according to a British aid organization, Save the Children.

In a report released on Monday, the group highlighted that the thousands of missing Palestinian children are presumed to be either trapped under rubble, buried in unmarked graves, severely injured by explosives, held by Israeli forces, or lost amid the chaos of conflict.

“It is near impossible to gather and verify information under the current Gaza conditions,” the organization stated, “but at least 17,000 children are believed to be unaccompanied and separated, while around 4,000 children are likely missing under the rubble, with an unknown number also in mass graves.”

Since October 7, Israel has reportedly killed over 14,000 children in Gaza, while others suffer severe malnutrition and “do not even have the strength to cry,” according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in an earlier report this year.

"Since October, Gaza has endured unrelenting violence, resulting in the deaths of over 37,000 people, including thousands of children. This follows an attack in Israel by Palestinian armed groups that left over a thousand dead, including at least 33 children,” Save the Children’s report indicates.

The report also mentions that around 250 Palestinian children are missing in the occupied West Bank as of June 9.

Accountability

Jeremy Stoner, Save the Children’s regional director for the Middle East, has urged for an independent investigation into the matter of Gaza’s missing children and emphasized the need for accountability.

“Families are tormented by the uncertainty of their loved ones’ whereabouts. No parent should have to sift through rubble or mass graves to find their child’s body. No child should be alone and undefended in a conflict zone. No child should be detained or taken hostage,” he emphasized.

Khaled Quzmar, the general director of Defense for Children International Palestine, informed Al Jazeera that the conflict’s impact on children is unprecedented, even compared to the second world war.

“It is a war targeting children. Children in Gaza bear the brunt of Israel’s genocide in Gaza,” Quzmar commented.

Globally, criticism has intensified in response to the increasing death toll and the worsening humanitarian crisis.

Nonetheless, on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed that he would not commit to any agreement that necessitates halting Israel’s actions in Gaza.