PORTLAND, USA, Oct 17 (IPS) – Following the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas-led militantsIsrael’s response has led to unprecedentedly high death rates in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian death toll over the twelve-month period is believed to be one of the highest highest such numbers of civilian casualties in the 21st century.
It is estimated that Israel fell more during the first seven months of the war 70,000 tons of bombs on Gaza, far surpass those of Dresden, Hamburg and London together during the Second World War. Moreover, some have concluded that it belongs to Israel bombings of the Gaza Strip, which included 900 kilograms (2,000 pounds)”bunker breakers“, is one of the most intense burgers punishment campaigns in history.
US President Biden warned Israel that it is losing international support, which has been increasing clearly worldwide, because of its “random bombings“of Gaza. The president described that of Israel military response in Gaza as “over the top“.
And despite President Biden’s statements of red linescalls for restraint and ultimatum If Israel wants to limit Palestinian civilian deaths, the president has one moral failure with his unwavering support for Israel with unequal treatment and oppression of Palestinians. While he sought peace, so did the president facilitated the war between Israel and Gaza.
In addition to the president’s expressed concerns about Israel’s military operations, there are dozens American officials resigned over the Biden administration’s position in the conflict. They were critical of Israel’s actions in Gaza and accused the government of not telling the truth about it Israel’s obstruction of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Although the numbers of deaths continue to rise and be updated, the current reported mortality figures provide an understandable picture of the deadly consequences of the war on human life in Gaza and Israel. In addition to mortality based on officially reported deaths by Israeli and Palestinian authorities, higher mortality rates have been estimated by health experts.
According to Israeli officials, the number of Israeli deaths from the attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023 1,163, with close 70 percent of victims identified as civilians. The attack is considered the worst in the country loss of life on one day since its founding in 1948 (Table 1).
In addition to those deaths on October 7, no less 728 Israeli soldiers have reportedly been killed in fighting since the ground invasion of Gaza began 33 Israeli dead took place in the West Bank.
Considering the total Israeli population of almost 10 millionthe number of Israeli deaths on October 7 and the following twelve months represents approximately 0.02 percent of Israel’s population, or 20 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.
As reported by the Gaza Ministry of Health, the death toll in the Gaza Strip due to Israeli military operations is one year after the October 7 attack 41,909 Palestinians. That number of deaths represents about 2 percent of Palestinians in Gaza.
According to Israel’s Shin Bet, the proportion of Hamas fighters among the Palestinian dead is approximately 40 percent. Although the Gaza Ministry of Health does not indicate whether the victims are civilians or fighters two-thirds reportedly women and children. According to Oxfam, the war in Gaza has killed even more people women and children than any other war in the last twenty years.
The reported number of deaths among Palestinians is generally considered accurate widely accepted by international monitoring organizations, including Israeli and American intelligence services. Independent studies of deaths reported by the Gaza Ministry of Health show no evidence of inflated mortality rates.
In addition to the almost 42,000 Palestinian deaths, Israel’s military action in Gaza has resulted in many more injuredexposed to famine and disease and most of Gaza’s population homeless.
With an estimated total population of approx 2.1 million in Gaza, the Palestinian death rate from the war after one year is 1,957 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. That Palestinian death rate in Gaza is 100 times greater than the Israeli death rate.
Applying the Israeli and Palestinian mortality rates to a third population group, the United States, illustrates the striking differences in the mortality rates and their demographic consequences. When the death rate in Gaza is applied to the US population, the resulting mortality would be almost 6.6 million deaths. Similarly, applying the Israeli death rate to the US population yields almost 66,000 deaths (Figure 1).
It is widely recognized that the actual death toll in Gaza is likely to be high higher than reported by the Gaza Ministry of Health. A major factor contributing to the higher death rate is the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, which affects more than 20 million people 10,000 missingcountless numbers buried under rubble and many suffering from disease and malnutrition, such as humanitarian aid is limited by that of Israel blockade.
One group of 99 U.S. health care workers returning from Gaza estimate the actual death toll in Gaza is at least four times higher than the officially reported number, which is about 119 thousand. In a published open letter On October 2, 2024, the group relayed their estimated number of Palestinian deaths in Gaza and their concerns about the mortality rate to President Biden and Vice President Harris (Figure 2).
A second analysis by a team of three researchers, published in The Lancet, estimated that the number of deaths in Gaza at mid-year was approximately 186 thousand. The researchers estimate that the actual death toll in Gaza could conservatively be about four times higher than the reported figure at the time. Their estimated mortality rate includes both direct deaths from bombing and indirect deaths from the destruction of Gaza’s health, food and sanitation facilities.
A third analysis of deaths in Gaza according to the chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh estimated the death toll to be even higher. Building on the mortality rate that appeared in The LanceThe number of deaths in Gaza twelve months after the October 7 attack is estimated at approximately 336 thousand. That death rate also took into account indirect deaths from widespread disease and famine.
A year after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, the resulting death rates among Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza are both high and strikingly different.
For Israel, the deaths from the attack represent the largest loss of life in a single day since the country’s founding. For Palestinians, the reported number of deaths represents an alarming portion of Gaza’s population.
During the past year of conflict, the reported number of Palestinian deaths in Gaza has been approximately twenty times greater than the number of Israeli deaths. Moreover, the death rate among Palestinians is a hundred times greater than the Israeli death rate.
In addition to direct reporting of deaths from bombings and military operations, the crisis in Gaza has led to high levels of indirect deaths. These deaths are mainly due to malnutritionwasting, stunting and trauma are reaching the famine threshold, largely due to the Israeli blockade. UNICEF has warned that the lack of water, food, medicine, sanitation, road and electricity infrastructure poses a greater threat to the lives of thousands of people in Gaza than bombs.
The true death toll in Gaza may not be known for years, especially as indirect deaths are expected to exceed the direct death toll. However, based on reported and estimated death rates, it seems clear that the Palestinian death toll in Gaza is among the highest highest civilian mortality rates of the 21st century.
Joseph Chamie is a consulting demographer, former Director of the United Nations Population Division and author of numerous publications on population issues, including his recent book, “Population Levels, Trends and Differences”.
© Inter Press Service (2024) — All rights reservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service