Harsh data was disclosed today (Tuesday) at the meeting of the Knesset Labor and Welfare Committee, which is involved in the government's efforts to assist the victims of the Hamas attack in the communities surrounding Gaza.
Rakfat Atzmon, who is in charge of the Welfare Ministry's orphans office, presented the committee with the data, according to which 20 children from 12 different families, who are under the age of 18, have been left without both parents. She emphasized that this number includes children whose parents are defined as kidnapped or missing.
Another 96 children, from 47 families, have lost one parent. It was also noted that 18 young adults aged 18-25 lost both their parents in the attack.
Atzmon confirmed that data must still be correlated with other entities, including the Ministry of Health, in order "to obtain a full picture.”
In addition, she gave the committee details on the manner in which orphans are being treated and said: "We prefer that, first and foremost, family members take care of the children who have lost both of their parents, and this is the situation at the moment. Of these 12 families, the majority have already reached a legal agreement on who will take care of the children. Regarding a limited number of children, there are still disagreements. The welfare services are trying to help all concerned reach an agreement, and if they fail, we will have to make decisions within our authority by law. A social worker has already met with all the children under the age of 18. We are in contact with them, examining their needs, checking how we can make arrangements and help, and some have already started a treatment program. In order not to overwhelm the families, most of whom have gone through trauma themselves, we decided that each family would have one comprehensive agent who will accompany them, assist, and connect them to all the professional sources."
Yonatan Bogot, of the Summit Institute, which accompanies foster families in the south, added: "We need the children to be officially recognized as foster children as soon as possible, so that we can give them the services they need. We have the services and resources for this, and we are just waiting for approval. The time factor is critical for the children who are undergoing trauma once again, especially those who are still moving between houses and are in dire need of stability." The representative from the Ministry of Welfare emphasized in response that the ministry is making great efforts to reach an official settlement for foster care as soon as possible, but emphasized the complexity of the issue: "We are dealing with the situation and are in contact with all the families, some of whom have been going from one shiva to the next, accompanying the injured and more. Some have asked us to wait with the settlement and we are trying to comply with the different requests and needs. We have to be quick but also very careful, to make sure that each child ends up in a place that is good and safe for him."