Gaza women, kids about 70% of verified war death toll

Approximately 70% of the verified war dead in the Gaza Strip are women and children, as reported by the United Nations.

The UN found that 80% of verified fatalities occurred due to Israeli attacks on residential areas, with children aged five to nine being the most affected group.

The staggering civilian death toll, which includes a high proportion of women and children, has prompted condemnation from the UN.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights verified 8,119 deaths out of over 34,500 reported fatalities during the first six months of Israel’s conflict in Gaza, with the youngest victim being just one day old.

Overall, 44% of the victims were children, the majority aged five to nine, followed by those aged 10-14 and up to four years old.

The conflict has resulted in at least 43,603 Palestinian deaths and 102,561 injuries since October 7, 2023, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.

Gaza’s civil defense agency on Sunday said 30 people, including 13 children, were martyred in Israeli strikes on two houses in the north of the enclave.

Meanwhile, a human rights group says the relevant international and UN organizations must formally declare famine in the northern Gaza Strip because Israel has blocked the entry of aid to the besieged Gaza for more than 50 days.

Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor said in a report on Sunday that Israel’s use of starvation as a weapon is one component of its ongoing genocide in the Strip, which also includes mass killings and forced displacement.

A senior UNRWA official described conditions in northern Gaza as “catastrophic,” citing ongoing attacks, severe shortages, and restricted aid access.

Sam Rose, the senior deputy director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza, emphasized the dire situation, reporting relentless assaults on civilians in areas like Jabalia and Beit Lahiya.

Rose highlighted the difficulties in assessing the situation due to constant fighting and limited access, noting that most aid missions have been blocked, with only a few reaching Gaza City.

He stated that UNRWA has halted services, and civil defense efforts to retrieve bodies or rescue survivors have been denied.

Established in 1949 to assist Palestinians displaced during the Nakba, UNRWA provides education, healthcare, social services, and emergency relief across the region.

Recently, Israel’s parliament passed legislation to prohibit UNRWA’s operations in occupied Palestine.

Reported by Tohid Mahmoudpour