The situation in Gaza is dire and worsening rapidly a year after Israel launched its all-out offensive in response to the Hamas-led raid into southern Israel. The British Red Cross reported the “conflict shows no sign of slowing and the humanitarian situation in Gaza deteriorates by the hour”.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry reports 41,870 Palestinians have been killed, of whom 16,756 were children and 11,346 women, and 11,000 are missing beneath the rubble. Israel says 1,200 people were killed and 250 abducted in the Hamas-led attack on October 7th.
Of 97,000 wounded, the World Health Organisation says 22,000 have life-changing injuries requiring rehabilitation services “now and for years to come” . Only 17 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remain partially functional, it says.
According to the UN, Israel has ordered the evacuation of 86 per cent of Gaza’s territory. At least 1.9 million of the 2.3 million people in Gaza have been displaced, many multiple times. About 1.2 million have been forced to go to al-Mawasi, the main Israel-designated “safe zone” on the coast, 11 per cent of the territory of Gaza. Al-Mawasi is a rural area without shelters, water or food. It has no sewage, refuse collection, washing, toilet or medical facilities.
The UN reported on Monday that Israel had “allocated a single, unsafe road” for the delivery of humanitarian supplies from Kerem Shalom, the sole crossing in the south, and convoys “face active hostilities and violent, armed looting fuelled by the collapse of public order and safety”.
Families live in tents and rudimentary shelters made of metal and plastic sheets. Insects breed in rubbish and pools of sewage. Children suffer from skin infections, scabies, hepatitis A and dysentery. The UN mounted a polio vaccination campaign in September for 640,000 children after the virus was detected in wastewater. This was the first anti-polio drive in Gaza in 25 years.
Al-Mawasi has been bombed six times. On July 13th the deadliest strike, with 900kg bombs, killed 92 and wounded 300, Gaza’s health ministry reported. Israel said it targeted Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif. In August, Palestinians seeking refuge in overcrowded al-Mawasi were turned away and compelled to settle around Khan Younis. Those sheltering outside the safe zone in UN schools are frequently bombed.
Two-thirds of Gaza’s residential, commercial and public buildings have been destroyed or damaged. A key is all many families have left of their homes. The UN trade agency said Gaza’s GDP has fallen by 81 per cent, creating an unprecedented economic crisis due to unemployment, driving most Gazans to rely on external aid. US-based Rand Corporation experts estimated the cost of rebuilding could be $80 billion (€73 billion). At least 42 million tonnes of rubble containing human remains, unexploded ordnance and toxic material must be removed before reconstruction can begin.
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