Palestinian authorities say more than 73,000 killed in 1,000 days in Gaza

GAZA: Palestinian authorities said on Thursday that more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 90 per cent of the Gaza Strip has been destroyed during the 1,000 days since Israel began its military campaign following the Hamas attack of Oct 7, 2023.

The figures were issued by the Palestinian government’s media office in a statement marking 1,000 days since the start of the war in Gaza. According to the statement, as of July 2 Israel had taken control of more than 80pc of the territory, while 2.4 million people in the enclave were facing genocide, starvation and ethnic cleansing.

Casualties and missing persons

The statement said that among those killed were more than 21,500 children and over 12,500 women. It added that more than 1,000 of the dead children were under the age of one year.

The Palestinian government said “More than 520 infants were born and subsequently killed during the genocide”.

It also said that more than half of those killed were children, women and elderly people. According to the same statistics, 9,500 people remain missing, including those believed to be trapped beneath rubble and not recovered.

The media office said Israel had struck the Al-Mawasi area, which it described as a safe humanitarian zone, 241 times. It also said more than 223,000 tons of explosives had been dropped on Gaza.

Deaths among medical workers, journalists and families

According to the statement, 1,700 medical workers, 145 civil defence workers and 262 journalists were killed during the conflict. It also reported the deaths of more than 194 municipal employees, including four mayors, more than 928 sports professionals and more than 2,800 police personnel.

The Palestinian authorities said more than 2,700 families had been completely wiped out, while in 6,020 families only one survivor remained.

The statement also said 460 people had died from hunger and malnutrition, including 164 children. It added that 23 people were killed in what it described as botched aid airdrops, while 28 others died from cold in displacement camps.

Health and displacement impact

According to the Palestinian government’s figures, more than 12,000 miscarriages were recorded because of shortages of food and healthcare. It added that over 5,400 people underwent amputations, with children making up 18pc of those cases.

The statement further listed 1,500 cases of paralysis and 1,200 cases of vision loss. It said 26,370 women had been widowed during the 1,000-day period, while 58,800 children had been orphaned. Of those children, 2,700 lost both parents.

The authorities also said forced displacement had led to 2.142 million cases of infectious disease, including more than 71,000 cases of viral hepatitis.

Damage to hospitals and education

The Palestinian government’s media office said 38 hospitals and 96 healthcare centres had been shelled, destroyed or rendered out of service. It added that 197 ambulances were also targeted.

It said every school in Gaza had been affected in the past 1,000 days and that 81pc of school buildings now require reconstruction or major rehabilitation. As a result, more than 620,000 school-age students have been deprived of education.

The statement added that 17 higher education institutions were fully or partly destroyed, affecting more than 90,000 university-age students.