The situation in Gaza over the last
three months has been so chaotic
that much of the data available comes with some sort of asterisk: it might be incomplete, or out of date, or drawn from a source that is claimed to be unreliable.
But in many cases, the numbers published by the UN, independent aid agencies and others are likely to be
at the low end of the possible range.
So it is reasonable to view the picture presented by these sources as
a conservative account of the situation, rather than conclude that the reality is hopelessly occluded by the fog of war.
Here are some details on
specific aspects of the crisis.
Deaths
Gaza’s ministry of health says that
at least 22,835 Palestinians had been killed by yesterday, with another
58,416 reportedly injured. That figure does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, but an estimated
70% are women and children.
7,000 more are reportedly missing
and most are likely dead.
Israel’s final count for Hamas’s 7 October massacre is 1,139: 685 Israeli civilians, 373 members of the security forces,
and 71 foreigners. Deaths in Israel since then bring the total to about 1,200.
36 of the victims were children.
The Israeli military says that 174 soldiers have been killed in Gaza,
and 1,023 injured.
Internal displacement
Because of the scale of the crisis,
it is hard to maintain precise figures.
But by the end of the year, the UN Palestinian relief agency, UNRWA, estimated that 1.9 million people
had been internally displaced by the war in Gaza – nearly 85% of the population.
Many have been forced to move multiple times as the focus of the IDF campaign shifts. About 1.4 million people
are sheltering in UNRWA facilities,
with most of the rest staying with friends, family, or strangers, or sleeping rough.
Destruction
Figures from the government media office in Gaza cited by the UN Office
for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimate that about 65,000 residential units have been destroyed or rendered uninhabitable. Another 290,000 have been damaged. That means that about half a million people have no home to return to.
That is a reflection of the intensity
of the IDF campaign. Data from conflict-tracking group Airwars suggests
that the US-led coalition against IS
in Iraq carried out 15,000 strikes between 2014 and 2017; the Israeli military
has carried out 22,000 in Gaza
in less than three months.
Critical infrastructure
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that 23 of 36 hospitals had been rendered completely inoperable
by 3 January, with a previous count
of 3,500 beds down to 1,400 by
10 December amid vastly increased need.
Gaza’s education system has also been severely compromised: 104 schools have either been destroyed or sustained major damage. In total, about 70% of school buildings have been damaged – and those still standing are largely being used
to shelter internally displaced people.
Meanwhile, water production stood
at 7% of the pre-war supply
on 30 December, and there is only one shower for every 4,500 people and one toilet for every 220.
Humanitarian aid
For two weeks at the beginning
of the war, no humanitarian assistance – including food – was allowed
into Gaza at all.
The flow of aid has gradually increased
as the war has gone on, according
to figures shared by UNRWA: there were 20 trucks a day in the last 10 days of October, 85 a day in November,
and 104 a day in December. But that is still way down on the pre-conflict level
of 500 trucks a day.
Humanitarian aid is meanwhile far harder to distribute because of the damage caused by Israel’s bombardment –
and 142 UNRWA workers have been killed, while 128 of the organisation’s buildings have been damaged.