Live updates: Netanyahu says intense phase of Gaza war will soon end

According to the aid organization Save the Children, 21,000 children have disappeared since the war in Gaza began.

The non-governmental organization said in a statement on Monday that at least 4,000 children are believed to be buried under the rubble of buildings destroyed during the fighting. At least 17,000 children are believed to be separated from their families and unaccompanied.

“Others have been victims of enforced disappearance, including an unknown number of people who have been arrested and deported from Gaza. Their whereabouts are unknown to their families and there are reports of ill-treatment and torture,” the statement said.

CNN was unable to independently verify Save the Children’s estimates.

The organization added that Israel’s current offensive in Rafah has led to the “forced separation of even more children and further increased the burden on the families and communities that care for them.”

“Every day we find more unaccompanied children and every day it becomes more difficult to support them,” said a child protection specialist from Save the Children in Gaza.

“There is no safe place in Gaza,” added the specialist, whose name was not disclosed for security reasons.

What Israel said: The Israeli military says Save the Children’s report is based on figures from the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.