Israel has stepped up its military attacks starting October 7, 2023, targeting civilian facilities and destroying the area, according to data from the Gaza administration. The death toll from the 470-day bombardment is 57,136, and 11,200 people are still unaccounted for and probably trapped under the rubble. Due to the attacks’ destruction of vital civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and shelters, many people have been forced to evacuate.
Statistics of destroyed area and loss of human lives
The Israeli military has destroyed 88% of Gaza and targeted 717 water wells, leaving the region without a sufficient supply of water. The destruction is believed to have cost $37 billion. According to Gaza authorities, 70% of the attacks’ victims are women and children. In strikes that targeted them explicitly, 1,600 families were destroyed, 12,298 women and over 17,800 children, 240 of whom were infants, were slain. Approximately 60,000 women are still at risk because of insufficient health care, 785,000 children are denied the opportunity to receive an education, and 35,074 children have lost at least one parent.
As part of a larger onslaught on Gaza, Israel has implemented a coordinated strategy to destroy the country’s healthcare system, committing war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination by attacking medical institutions and staff on a regular and intentional basis.
The crisis’s reporters have not been exempt. Israel has killed 204 journalists, injured 399, and arrested 43 others, the whereabouts of whom are still unknown.
Impact of Israel’s siege on Gaza
As Israeli security forces have tightened their siege on Gaza and limited permits to leave the region for medical treatment, they have purposefully killed, arrested, and tortured medical staff as well as targeted medical vehicles. The destruction of protected civilian property, deliberate killing and abuse, and the crime against humanity of extirpation are all considered war crimes.
With 162 medical facilities attacked, the health sector has suffered catastrophic damage, leaving 34 hospitals and 80 health clinics inoperable.
94 civil defense employees and almost 1,000 medical professionals lost their lives while performing their duties. 12,660 patients require immediate medical attention, and 12,500 cancer patients are unable to receive treatment because of limitations on humanitarian help. After an Israeli airstrike, Kamal Adwan, the last operational hospital in northern Gaza, ceased operations, and its director has been seized and is still missing. Access to education has been seriously hampered as a result of Israel’s military destroying 136 schools and institutions and damaging 355 more.
Along with three churches, 823 mosques, and 19 cemeteries were also targeted. Attacks on Gaza’s medical institutions, especially those that provide pediatric and neonatal care, have caused unimaginable pain for young patients, including newborns. Israel’s ongoing attacks have destroyed generations of Palestinian children and maybe the Palestinian people as a whole by violating children’s right to life, denying them access to basic healthcare, and purposefully causing unfavorable living conditions.
Humanitarian aid and fuel shortage
Israel’s siege of Gaza, which severely restricts the entry of fuel and humanitarian supplies, has made the already poor situation worse. 44 people have already passed away from malnutrition and starvation, and over 3,500 children are in danger of dying from it. 350,000 people with chronic illnesses are unable to obtain their drugs, putting many lives at risk. Deadly illnesses have spread as a result of the shortages, especially among displaced people.
Over 2 million Gazans have been displaced, many of whom have been compelled to live in improvised shelters devoid of basic amenities. Even in “safe zones,” Israel has struck 218 shelters, including UN-run ones, forcing civilians to flee. The Israeli attacks destroyed 161,600 homes, while 82,000 of them were rendered useless. The 110,000 tents Palestinians are forced to live in are subpar, with eight people, including seven children, recently killed by freezing temperatures in the shelters.
Women’s and girls’ reproductive rights are violated when reproductive healthcare infrastructure is purposefully destroyed and healthcare services are not readily available or easily accessible. Additionally, it violates their rights to human dignity, health, life, and non-discrimination.