While statistics alone cannot capture human suffering, the scale of the catastrophe in densely populated coastal areas is clear.
28 children are killed every day
Israeli military operations over the past two years have killed 67,173 Palestinians, including 20,179 children, 10,427 women and 4,813 elderly people, according to data released by Gaza’s health authorities on Tuesday. This is the first time authorities have released the overall number of deaths broken down by age and gender.
Before the conflict, Gaza’s population was estimated at 2.3 million. This means that approximately 1 in 33 residents, or approximately 3% of the pre-war population, was killed. More than 20,000 children were among the dead, suggesting an average of 28 children died every day over the past two years.
42,000 people suffered life-changing injuries
Health authorities reported that more than 169,000 Palestinians were injured in the two years, roughly one in every 14 residents. A World Health Organization assessment released on October 2 found that nearly 42,000 people in Gaza are living with life-altering injuries, about a quarter of them children.
The report says more than 5,000 people have undergone amputation. Other serious injuries include limb injuries, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and extensive burns.
Medical facilities destroyed on a large scale
Health authorities in the Gaza Strip announced on Tuesday that Israeli attacks on medical facilities had forced the closure of 25 of the enclave’s 38 hospitals. The remaining 13 are only partially operational under dire conditions. Of the 157 primary health centers, 103 have been destroyed and the remaining 54 are partially operational.
By the end of September, hospital bed occupancy reached 225 percent, and the number of hospitalizations continued to rise. Health authorities also reported 1,701 medical staff deaths.
More than 500,000 people face hunger
A United Nations report released in August estimated that more than 500,000 people are facing hunger in Gaza, particularly in Gaza City and its surrounding areas in northern Gaza, and that the situation has spread to central and southern Gaza.
Gaza health authorities say 460 people, including 154 children, have died from hunger and malnutrition in the past two years. Currently, more than 51,000 children under the age of five are suffering from acute malnutrition.
1.9 million people evacuated
The United Nations estimates that approximately 92% of all residential buildings in Gaza (approximately 436,000 homes) have been damaged or destroyed since the start of the conflict.
At least 1.9 million people have been displaced across the Gaza Strip during the war, according to the United Nations. Many have repeatedly evacuated, some more than 10 times.
MNA