INTERNATIONAL – October 7, April 7. In Gaza, the conflict between Israel and Hamas has been going on for six months already. A war that began with the terrorist attack on Saturday October 7, 2023, which led to an unprecedented reaction from the Jewish state against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
In one semester, the consequences of this war were dramatic. And the resulting figures you can discover it in the video at the top of the article, are dizzying.
· The shock of October 7
That day, Hamas men infiltrated Israeli territory, causing a massacre that was as terrifying as it was unprecedented. Assessment of what the terrorist organization called the operation “ Al-Aqsa Flood »: 1,160 dead, mainly civilians, and 7,500 injured. One of the worst human tolls for Jewish populations since the Shoah.
On October 7, Hamas also took 250 people hostage. Thanks to the only truce negotiated last November, 105 people were released against 240 Palestinian prisoners.
According to Israel, around a hundred hostages believed to be alive are still captive to this day. Among them, three French nationals: Ohad Yahalomi, Ofer Kalderon and Orion Hernandez Radoux.
· Israel’s response
Six months later, it is the Israeli response that sends shivers down your spine. Swearing to “ eradicate Hamas » for his crimes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a military response. But the result was brutal: nearly 33,000 people died in Gaza and 75,000 injured in the bombings and ground fighting.
Women and children are not spared. THE Unicef report unveiled at the beginning of April reported 13,750 children and 3,250 women killed, or nearly 70% of the victims.
The impact for Gazans is colossal: 1.7 million of them have been displaced, or 80% of the current population of the Gaza Strip.
In addition to the human toll, there is the risk of famine and economic damage. Initial estimates made by the United Nations, the European Union and the World Bank put the damage at $18.5 billion. This is the equivalent of 97% of the GDP of all the occupied Palestinian territories.
Regarding the growing threat of famine, UNICEF estimates that 90% of the population now suffers from acute food insecurity. Between February 15 and March 15, 2024, the UN agency listed 677,000 Gazans in phase 5, the most serious food insecurity situation on the planet. the IPC ranking.
· A matter of (contested) numbers
Despite these sad figures, it remains difficult to trust the figures without blinking. With access to the Gaza Strip almost impossible, journalists are unable to independently verify the data. Even after six months of conflict behind closed doors in the Palestinian enclave.
And as the main human toll is provided by the Hamas Ministry of Health, the reliability of its data is often called into question, the fault of the terrorist organization status of the Palestinian Islamist movement established in particular by the EU or the United States. United.
Despite these limitations, Hamas’ figures retain a certain credibility due to estimates provided by the American administration or UNICEF. At the beginning of April, the UN agency affirmed that the war in Gaza had left 32,623 dead, a figure not so far from that put forward by Hamas.
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