Mannat Saini, Pune
Amongst the ongoing human rights crisis in Gaza, the health ministry of Gaza has published a list that identifies 34,344 Palestinians who were killed in the attacks from Israel. The 649-page report contains specific information about the victims such as name, gender, age, and ID number. Out of 649 pages, 215 pages from the report are just children.
The document contains the details of almost 80 percent of people who were killed in the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel. The remaining 7613 victims are yet to be identified and their mortal remains have been recovered and taken to hospitals and morgues. Alongside the unidentified victims, the official death toll has become over 41,000 people.
The government report contains details about the 169 children born after the initial Hamas attack on the 7th of October which triggered the war. The report also reveals details of a man who was born in 1922 and had witnessed more than a century of conflict. The report brings forth the impact of the war on the youth, with the first adult name appearing not until the 215th page.
However, the officials from Israel have refuted the claims and the accuracy of the figures, citing Hamas’s control of Gaza’s government for the inaccuracy. On the other end, health workers and civil servants in Gaza are heavily relied upon due to their reputation for precision in their data during previous conflicts. After previous wars in the area, the United Nations had found that the Gaza authorities’ data was closest to their own data. Farhan Haq, the spokesperson of the United Nations, acknowledged that these statistics have historically proven to be more reliable.
This report does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, adding up to 2000 news names to the exhaustive record. On the basis of the details of age and gender, it is believed that a significant number of civilians have been affected encompassing 11,355 children, 6,297 women, and 2,955 people aged over 60. There are also multiple civilian men on the list.
Across the border, while Israel claims to have killed 17,000 militants, the governance has not provided any evidence or estimated the impact on the civilians. Gaza’s report does not account for the estimated 10,000 people who are believed to still be buried under the rubble of their homes and buildings due to the lack of rescue and recovery equipment. Moreover, it also does not encompass the deaths caused due to factors influenced by the war such as hunger, lack of shelter, medical shortages, and the spread of diseases have also taken a toll. Dr Marwan al-Hams, the director of Gaza’s field hospitals, believes that these individuals will be accounted for once the war comes to an end.