NewsUnending revenge: Alarming number of civilian fatalities in Gaza

Unending revenge: Alarming number of civilian fatalities in Gaza

Israeli-Palestinian war
Israeli-Palestinian war
Images source: © GETTY | NurPhoto
ed. MCZ

9:24 AM EST, December 10, 2023

An investigative report by the Israeli news outlet, Haaretz, suggests that the proportion of civilian fatalities during recent bombings in the Gaza Strip marks an all-time high in the history of this ongoing conflict. Haaretz gives this an alarming label - "unprecedented killing." It posits that the Gaza Strip survivors who are living through these bombardments will be driven to enact an unstoppable retribution, a "revenge that no security agreements can prevent".

Citing a particular report published in Haaretz, it is stated that "Israel's assault on Gaza is the most indiscriminate in terms of civilian casualties when compared to previous instances".

Nearly 18,000 casualties in recent conflict

These poignant facts came to light as Israeli forces continued their onslaught on the Al-Shujaiya district in Gaza City, as well as carrying out air raids in Rafah, a location where numerous Palestinians are seeking sanctuary.

- A staggering total of 17.7 thousand Palestinians have met their demise due to the Israeli military actions in the Gaza Strip since October 7 - This was reported on Saturday by Ashraf Al-Kidra, the spokesperson for the Hamas-controlled health ministry.

- The atrocities and widespread slaughter inflicted upon the people of Gaza are beyond words - the spokesman continued, mentioning that the current war has resulted in approximately 48.7 thousand injuries within the Strip.

Unprecedented fatalities

In the southern Gaza Strip locale of Khan Younis, a tragic total of 62 dead bodies were delivered to Nasser Hospital following the Israeli bombardments - As reported by the Hamas Ministry, additionally, Al Jazeera disclosed that 133 bodies were transported to two hospitals in Gaza within the 24 hours prior.

Based on this investigation by Haaretz, the proportion of civilian fatalities during the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza spanning from 2012 to 2022 stands at 40 percent.

In contrast, during the ongoing bombings which commenced on October 7, the civilian fatalities count has escalated to a shocking 61 percent, a situation Haaretz described as "unprecedented killing".

Warning of an unstoppable reprisal

Haaretz suggests that the surge in civilian fatalities not only fails to boost Israel's security but poses a serious threat to it. It predicts that Gaza’s survivors from the current bombings will likely seek an act of revenge that no form of security coordination may prevent.

The report substantiates early findings from multiple Israeli journalism outlets like +972 Magazine and Local Call. These publications claim that Israel intentionally targeted residential buildings in an attempt to provoke Gazans against factions of the Palestinian resistance movement.