GAZA, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- At just 17, Nagham Mishmish was abruptly pushed from adolescence into adulthood after losing both her parents in an Israeli airstrike during the latest war in the Gaza Strip.

Overnight, she became the sole caregiver and provider for her five younger siblings.

Inside a tent pitched amid the rubble of their former home in al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, Nagham cradles her two-year-old brother Hassan, her voice barely above a whisper as she speaks of the life she now must navigate.

"Before the war, I was just their sister," she told Xinhua. "Now, I have to be both a mother and a father. It is a heavy responsibility, but I have no other choice."

Rising before dawn each day, Nagham prepares meals for her siblings before they head to makeshift classes held in nearby tents.

When they return, she helps them with their lessons, trying to compensate for the absence of their mother, who once oversaw every detail of the family's daily life.

"I was supposed to be in the 11th grade," the girl murmured, her face lacking the bright, carefree joy typical for someone at her age. "Instead of studying for my own future, I now have to focus on taking care of my siblings. My mother used to do that, and now I am forced to replace her."

The war, Nagham added, not only took her parents but also what remained of her childhood. "I miss the days of living a normal life, going out with friends, and thinking about myself," she said. "Now, I cook, clean, and figure out how to provide for my brothers and sisters."

Like other war-made orphans across the Gaza Strip, Nagham's household is burdened by profound financial hardship, compounded by widespread devastation and the absence of a steady income.

"Sometimes my siblings ask for simple things, like shoes or clothes, and I cannot provide them," she said. "It makes me feel helpless and adds even more pressure on me."

A similar story unfolds in northern Gaza. Thirteen-year-old Rahaf Bader lost her father in an Israeli bombing, while her mother later died of cancer after being unable to travel outside Gaza for medical treatment due to restrictions.

Rahaf now lives with her three sisters in a tent in Jabalia refugee camp, after all of them were injured in an earlier strike.

"I should be at school," she told Xinhua, struggling to hold back tears. "But instead, I cook, wash clothes, and take care of my sisters."

Once aspiring to become a doctor, Rahaf said her dreams have been eclipsed by the harsh demands of daily survival. "All I think about now is how to protect my sisters and make up for the loss of our parents," she said. "The responsibility placed on me is beyond my strength, but it cannot be put off."

Nagham and Rahaf are among tens of thousands of children who lost one parent or both during the Israel-Hamas conflict that erupted on Oct. 7, 2023. According to the Hamas-run media office in Gaza, the war has resulted in the deaths of around 12,500 women, including approximately 9,000 mothers, and 22,400 fathers, raising the number of orphans in Gaza to 57,000.

Maysaa Abu al-Ata, a Palestinian psychologist, told Xinhua that the psychological toll of the war has been profound, especially among orphaned children.

"They are experiencing complex trauma that combines the pain of loss with responsibilities far beyond their age," al-Ata noted.

"The absence of parents deprives children of their basic sense of security," she said. "When children suppress their own emotions to care for others, the psychological damage may emerge later in life." ■