The International Rescue Committee is sounding the alarm over the risk of increased family separations in the Gaza Strip as Israeli forces order more mass evacuations and step up deadly attacks and arrests across the Palestinian enclave.

The US-based group said its assessments indicate the number of unaccompanied children in Gaza is far higher than UNICEF’s estimates of 17,000, and said doctors are reporting finding children without surviving family members living in hospitals due to a lack of alternative care arrangements.

“The situation for children in Gaza is extremely dire,” said Ulrike Julia Wendt, IRC’s emergency child protection coordinator.

“The ongoing conflict puts children’s health and wellbeing at severe risk … A psychologist I spoke to in Gaza last month mentioned many cases of children in shock, often seeking comfort and clinging to adults when they hear loud sounds. Some children have also started bed-wetting, having nightmares, and asking to sleep under the bed to feel more secure.”

She said while children are resilient and can recover, they urgently need supportive conditions and a protective environment to do so.