GAZA – Gaza Health Ministry has reported that more than 55,000 people have been killed in the long-standing Israel-Hamas war, and the victims mostly consist of women and children. This statistics is indicative of the damning effects of the war, which started when Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has affirmed that Israeli troops have retrieved the bodies of two more hostages who were being held in Gaza since the conflict broke out. The Health Ministry records show that 55,104 Palestinians have been killed and 127,000 injured. Still, much more is thought to be buried under the rubble or in sites that are inaccessible to medical teams.
Though the Gaza Health Ministry makes no distinction between civilians and fighters in its statistics, it has underscored that a high percentage of the dead are not combatants. Israel insists its military actions are directed against militants and attributes civilian fatalities to Hamas, accusing the latter of launching operations within urban population centers.
The continuing conflict has resulted in extensive damage throughout Gaza, leaving some 90% of the population displaced. Israeli troops have converted much of the territory into military buffer zones, especially in the south’s city of Rafah. The situation has been worsened by an Israeli blockade that has created speculations of famine among the people.
In spite of the new aid delivery system supported by Israel and the United States, UN agencies have reported trouble in delivering food and medical aid because of Israeli restrictions and the ongoing hostilities. Humanitarian groups have refuted allegations that Hamas is systematically diverting humanitarian assistance for militant use.
As war keeps raging, the humanitarian situation worsens, with hundreds of thousands of individuals surviving in squalid conditions, such as makeshift tent settlements and vacated schools. The Gaza health system has been materially weakened, with its ability to deal with a flood of casualties from on-going bombardments at breaking point.
Hamas indicated that it would release the remaining hostages in exchange only for Palestinian prisoners, a permanent ceasefire, and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Yet Netanyahu spurned these conditions, saying that Israel would only approve temporary ceasefires in order to allow the hostages to be returned.
The global community continues to be apprehensive regarding the implications of the conflict, with a number of countries considering Israel’s Gaza plans as potential international law violations.
