A new assessment by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) finds that months of hostilities, displacement and an estimated 72,000 civilian deaths in Gaza are reshaping family structures and leaving a growing number of children without parental care, leaving communities and children to rely on informal kinship care arrangements. In many cases, extended family members such as grandparents, aunts and uncles have stepped in to care for children who have lost contact with, or been separated from, their parents. While these arrangements often provide an immediate safety net, they are increasingly under strain as families struggle with displacement, limited resources and ongoing insecurity.