In the war-torn Palestinian enclave of Gaza, amid the relentless onslaught of daily Israeli attacks, a staggering number of children find themselves tragically separated from their families.

UNICEF's Jonathan Crickx, speaking from Geneva, painted a grim picture of the situation, revealing that 17,000 children are now adrift in the chaos, their innocence a casualty of conflict they had no part in.

"Palestinian children's mental health is severely impacted," he said.

Before the war began on October 7, 500,000 Palestinian children were already in need of mental help but today all of them, more than 1 million children, need mental support, he added.

The harsh reality of Israel's war on Gaza is unveiled through these powerful images of affected children: