Recent Reports
Massive Loss of Life, Housing and Employment in Gaza
The death toll from the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since October 7 "has likely risen to 20,000 dead Palestinians, including those missing under the rubble with little hope of survival" the organization Euro-Med Monitor reported on November 17. It estimates that "at least 15,271 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed, including 3,561 women and 6,403 children," adding that another estimated 4,000 people are "missing beneath the debris of buildings hit by Israeli air and artillery strikes, with little chance of their survival." Over 32,310 additional people have been injured by the Israeli attacks, many of whom are in critical condition and unable to receive the bare minimum of medical attention due to Israel's destruction of Gaza's health system. Among those killed are at least 203 health workers and 36 civil defence workers, while more than 210 health workers have been injured, Gaza's Health Ministry reported on November 10.
The Ministry also said that 197 Palestinians were killed by Israeli army gunfire in the occupied West Bank since October 7, and 2,750 were injured.
Over 1.65 million Gazans have been internally displaced, about half of whom are living in severely overcrowded facilities run by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. These are neither intended nor suitable for shelter, added Euro-Med Monitor.
The Israeli bombing on Gaza during that period has caused damage to more than 50 per cent of the housing units across Gaza, local authorities said. Euro-Med Monitor states that 55,200 housing units have been completely destroyed by the Israeli attacks, while 160,700 others have been partially damaged. One hundred and seventeen health facilities, as well as 223 schools, 821 industrial facilities, 177 press offices, 75 mosques, and three churches, have been targeted.
The preliminary losses in the housing sector and to infrastructure are estimated to be $2 billion each, the Gaza government's media office noted.
Some 390,000 jobs have been lost. Poverty is also expected to
rise sharply by between 20 and 45 per cent, depending on the
duration of the war on Gaza.
Palestinian officials have reported that as of November 10 the Israeli regime has dropped more than 32,000 tons of explosives on the Gaza Strip since the start of the Israeli offensive on the besieged territory on October 7. This is roughly the equivalent to 2.5 times the explosive force of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in World War II.
This article was published in
Volume 53 Number 23 - November 2023
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2023/Articles/MS53234.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca