DaysofPal — A new report by the Israeli daily Haaretz estimates that nearly 100,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza since the start of Israel’s military offensive on October 7, 2023, making it the deadliest conflict of the 21st century to date.
The figure includes not only those killed by Israeli airstrikes and ground assaults, but also tens of thousands who have died from indirect consequences of the war—such as the collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system, famine, disease, and lack of access to essential services under Israel’s siege.
Haaretz noted that while the Palestinian Ministry of Health officially lists more than 56,000 confirmed fatalities, this number drastically underrepresents the actual human toll. Citing an international research team, the paper stated that the true death toll may be double, due to mass casualties in areas where bodies remain unrecovered or undocumented.
The newspaper described the crisis as “a humanitarian catastrophe that eclipses all other wars of this century,” calling for a fundamental reassessment of the way civilian deaths are calculated in prolonged sieges and urban warfare. It emphasized the silent toll of starvation, untreated injuries, and disease, which continue to claim lives long after bombs stop falling.
In one of its most searing observations, Haaretz referred to the Gaza war as “one of the deadliest examples of genocide in modern times,” highlighting the systemic destruction of civilian infrastructure and the long-term societal trauma inflicted on the Palestinian population.
International aid organizations, including the United Nations and the World Health Organization, have repeatedly warned of a total humanitarian collapse in Gaza. Despite this, Israel’s blockade has largely prevented the delivery of life-saving aid, prompting mounting global accusations that Israel is employing siege, starvation, and mass displacement as weapons of war.
As the war nears its 9th month with no resolution in sight, calls for accountability are growing louder—both for the staggering civilian death toll and for what human rights advocates describe as the deliberate targeting of the very conditions necessary for civilian survival.
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