Israel's War On Gaza In Numbers
Gaza, Palestine: It has been 467 days since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Which means that the Palestinians have been under severe bombardment, starvation, displacement, diseases, and deaths for more than 15 months. The human toll in this genocide is staggeringly high. The tiny coastal enclave has become a ghost town, filled with dead bodies, tonnes of debris, and unexploded bombs.
At least 46,707 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli bombing. 18,000 among the killed were reported to be children. The said figure of the death toll indicates that one out of every 50 Palestinians is killed. Reports also suggest that the actual number of deaths is much higher than what was recorded.
Over 110,265 Palestinians were injured in Israeli bombing in Gaza. The number shows that one in 20 Palestinians is injured. Nearly a quarter of the injured, which is estimated to be 22,500 people, have life-altering injuries that require but are not receiving rehabilitation, said the World Health Organisation (WHO). Severe limb injuries are the major type of injury that require rehabilitation.
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As per UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, every day 10 children lose one or both legs. Operations and amputations were conducted with little to no anaesthesia, even such basic necessities are not available in Gaza due to Israel’s intense blockade. There had been at least 4,500 amputations by the end of 2024.
Apart from the recorded death toll, thousands are feared to be trapped under the huge pile of rubble. It was not yet clarified how many are dead or alive under the rubble. With an extreme shortage of tools to remove the rubble due to the Israeli siege, volunteers and Palestinian Civil Defence workers rely on their bare hands in trying to remove the rubble and rescue those trapped.
According to the Environmental Quality Authority of Palestine, an estimated 85,000 tonnes of explosives have been dropped in Gaza. Experts are of the impression that it could take more than a year to clear out all the rubble and debris that were left behind by the heavy Israeli bombing. Over 42 million tonnes of debris were estimated to be piled up in Gaza, as per the UN Development Programme.
The risk of all the unexploded bombs is another tale to tell.
According to Al Jazeera’s investigations, Israel has been systematically starving the Gaza population by denying the entry of aid containing food and water into the Strip. Earlier this month, UNRWA stated that efforts to supply aid in Gaza are at a “breaking point.”
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As per the Rome Statute, a treaty that established the International Criminal Court, intentionally starving a population is a war crime when committed during an armed conflict.
Nearly 1.9 million Gazans are internally displaced. Among these, nearly 80 percent of the population are living in makeshift shelters, without the adequate necessities, including food and clothing to protect themselves from the biting cold.
At least eight babies have also died of hypothermia.
Nearly half a million Gazans are in flood-prone areas, said UN agencies. Reportedly, about 110,000 of the 135,000 tents being used as shelters in the Gaza Strip are worn out and not fit for use.
