Israel’s army devastating air-and-ground assault on Gaza has now killed more than 20,000 people in the 10 weeks since the conflict began, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health — a figure that is fast approaching 1% of the Palestinian territory’s pre-war population. That means around 1 out of every 105 people has been killed since the war began

Palestinians transferred relative’s dead bodies to Shuhda Al-Aqsa hospital in Gaza, December 21, 2023 (Photo: WAFA)

The ministry said Friday that at least 20,057 people have died from the Israeli attacks since Oct. 7. It has said 70% of those killed are women and children, of them, more than 8,000 are said to be children and more than 6,200 women. Another 52,000 people in Gaza have been wounded.

The entire population in the Gaza Strip faces an imminent risk of famine, according to the latest estimates from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) global partnership on 21 December. Bombardment, ground operations, and the besiegement of the entire population, coupled with restricted humanitarian access, have resulted in catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity, intensifying the risk of famine each day, according to IPC.  

Should the situation continue, it is precited that between 8 December 2023 and 7 February 2024, Gaza’s population will be the highest share of people facing high levels of acute food insecurity ever classified by the IPC initiative for any given area or country, since its establishment in 2004.

On Tuesday, the International Labor Organization and the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics assessed that at least 66 per cent of employment, the equivalent of 192,000 jobs, has been lost in Gaza since the escalation of hostilities on 7 October. The effects of the escalation are also felt in the West Bank, where 32 per cent of employment has been lost, the equivalent of 276,000 jobs, in the same time period, according to the two bodies.

Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=31455