Key facts
- Jana al-Motouq, 13, is the sole survivor of her family after an Israeli strike killed her parents, twin sister, and two younger brothers in Gaza.
- Dima Junina, 18, also lost her entire immediate family in a separate Israeli bombing incident.
- Over 68,000 children and adults are sole survivors of their families in Gaza, with over 75,000 children orphaned.
- Medical staff use the term WCNSF ('Wounded Child, No Surviving Family') for child survivors arriving alone.
- Despite trauma and grief, both teenagers are focused on education and rebuilding their lives.
The ongoing conflict in Gaza has created a generation of children who are sole survivors of their families, grappling with profound grief, displacement, and the immense responsibility of growing up alone. Thirteen-year-old Jana al-Motouq recounts waking up to find her home destroyed and her entire family, including parents, twin sister, and younger brothers, killed in an Israeli strike on November 17, 2023. She survived by chance, having slept at her grandmother's house across the street.
Similarly, 18-year-old Dima Junina lost her parents and three younger brothers when a building collapsed onto her home following an Israeli bombing on October 30, 2023. She was shielded by a door beneath the rubble. Both teenagers are now navigating life without their families, facing survivor's guilt and the daily challenges of self-sufficiency.
According to Riad al-Bitar of the Palestinian Ministry of Social Development, the war has left over 68,000 individuals as sole survivors and more than 75,000 children orphaned. Medical personnel in Gaza have even coined the term WCNSF ('Wounded Child, No Surviving Family') to describe young patients arriving at hospitals alone. Psychologist Sereen al-Absi notes that survivors often feel guilty, questioning why they lived while their loved ones perished, a feeling that logic cannot easily overcome.
Despite the trauma, both al-Motouq and Junina are determined to continue their education, a path their parents encouraged. Al-Motouq, who had a 96 percent school average before the war, continues to memorize the Quran, while Junina is considering studying psychology. They express a desire for basic necessities like a home and school, and for the right to live without fear, play, and dream. Junina specifically asks to be treated as a person, not just an orphan.