The war on Gaza: Continuous bombing, deaths, hunger & displacement
The war on Gaza, the longest and bloodiest conflict between Israel and Palestinians since 1948, has entered its 100th day with no sign of a ceasefire in sight. The ongoing violence has resulted in a devastating toll on the people of Gaza, with thousands dead, injured, displaced, and facing hunger.
Since the conflict began, Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip has caused a staggering loss of life. A total of 23,843 deaths and 60,317 injuries have been reported, transforming the besieged enclave into an uninhabitable nightmare.
The war escalated on October 7 when Palestinian militant group Hamas launched the Al-Aqsa Flood operation. Thousands of rockets were fired from Gaza, targeting Israeli settlements and resulting in the capture, injury, and death of soldiers and civilians. In response, the Israeli army initiated a military operation dubbed Operation Iron Swords, enforcing a complete siege on Gaza. This siege included the halt of power, food deliveries, and water supplies, plunging the 2.4 million residents of Gaza into an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.
The Israeli army’s devastating bombing campaign and ground operations have primarily targeted women and children, resulting in massive infrastructure destruction and a catastrophic humanitarian situation. An estimated 45-56 percent of buildings have been damaged or destroyed, with only 15 out of 36 hospitals still operational. Moreover, 69 percent of school buildings, 145 mosques, three churches, and 121 ambulances have been damaged.
The war has forced waves of displacement, with residents fleeing from different parts of the Gaza Strip. The affected areas include the north and south Gaza Governorates, Khan Yunis, Rafah, and the central governorate. In total, 2 million Palestinians, out of the 2.3 million residing in Gaza, have been displaced to shelter centers, camps, or with relatives.
The toll on children in Gaza is particularly devastating. According to Save the Children, more than ten Palestinian children on average have lost one or both of their limbs every day since the conflict’s onset. The overall death toll includes approximately 10,400 children, 7,100 women, 337 medical staff members, 45 civil defense apparatus members, and 111 journalists.
The destruction and loss of life caused by the continuous bombings have left approximately 7,000 people missing under the rubble, with 70 percent of them being women and children.
Although Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement on November 21, allowing for a four-day period of calm, the truce quickly collapsed, and the war reignited on December 1. International efforts to provide aid to the people of Gaza have been hindered by Israel’s ongoing restrictions on aid entry through the Rafah border.
The scale of the destruction is incomprehensible, with Israel having dropped 65,000 tons of explosives on the Gaza Strip since the conflict began. This firepower is more than three times the magnitude of the US nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.
The war has garnered significant international attention, with South Africa filing a lawsuit against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on December 29, accusing Israel of committing genocide crimes in Gaza. The ICJ held public hearings in The Hague on January 11 and 12, allowing both sides to present their arguments. Israel has firmly denied the accusations of genocide, asserting its actions as self-defense.
There are mounting concerns of the conflict’s regional impact. Joint American-British strikes against Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthis, who have intensified their attacks on Israeli commercial ships in solidarity with Gaza, have raised fears of further escalation. Tensions also persist on the Lebanon-Israel border, with regular exchanges of fire between Lebanese Hezbollah and Israeli forces.
With the war’s continuation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized his determination to achieve victory over Hamas. Meanwhile, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) commissioner-general, Philippe Lazzarini, warned of the dire situation in Gaza. He highlighted the profound psychological trauma suffered by children, the spread of diseases, and the imminent threat of famine.
The situation in Gaza is dire, with thousands of traumatized children, countless lives lost, and a generation deprived of education and a future, Lazzarini stated, underscoring the urgent need for humanitarian intervention.
As the conflict rages on, the people of Gaza endure unimaginable suffering and loss. The international community is called upon to act swiftly to mitigate the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the Gaza Strip, ensuring the protection of innocent lives and the possibility of a peaceful future for all parties involved.
