ISIDORA CIRIC (ABU DHABI)
More women and children have been killed in Gaza by Israeli military actions over the past year than during any conflict in the last two decades, recent reports have revealed. As violence escalates across Gaza, Lebanon, and the West Bank, humanitarian groups on Tuesday called for urgent action, including a permanent ceasefire to prevent further loss of life.
According to Action on Armed Violence analysis, Israel has struck civilian infrastructure in Gaza with explosive weapons every three hours on average since the war began. The data also revealed that Israeli forces hit homes every four hours, tents and shelters every 17 hours, schools and hospitals every four days, and aid distribution centres every 15 days.
The aggression has been so persistent, that aside from a six-day humanitarian pause last November, only two days in the past year were without bombardment, the report added. Adding to the record-breaking statistics of the enclave's humanitarian plight, the rate of attacks on healthcare facilities in Gaza has reached 73 per month, the highest of any recent conflict, according to UN and medical sources.
Children have suffered the most due to the ongoing violence. The UN's Children and Armed Conflict reports found that more than five times the number of Palestinian children were killed in Gaza over the past year compared to the period between 2005 and 2022. These figures exclude the nearly 20,000 people who remain unidentified, missing, or trapped beneath rubble, with experts estimating the true death toll could be much higher due to indirect factors such as starvation and lack of healthcare.
A report from Save the Children, UNICEF, and the Education Cluster on Tuesday revealed that all children in Gaza have been deprived of schooling for the past year, with hundreds of schools directly targeted in the conflict. Recent escalations have worsened the situation, with the destruction of educational infrastructure negatively affecting the psychosocial wellbeing of students, teachers, and caregivers.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported on Tuesday that this psychological trauma experienced by children in Gaza will require long-term psychotherapy. The exposure to continued destruction, suffering, and loss has led to a concerning number of cases of post-traumatic stress disorder and acute stress syndrome. MSF described the ongoing crisis as a "huge, tormenting catastrophe," with symptoms such as nightmares, flashbacks, insomnia, and severe mood disorders becoming commonplace among Gaza's youth.
In light of the developments, eighteen health and human rights organisations issued a joint statement on Tuesday, urging immediate action to protect Palestinians' right to health amid the escalating humanitarian crisis.
The organisations outlined 10 principles necessary for addressing both immediate and long-term health needs and rejected the prospect of returning to the pre-war conditions where Palestinian healthcare was dependent on foreign aid and restricted by Israeli permits.