Israel Kills More Women and Children in Gaza than in Any Recent Conflict – Oxfam

Oct 2, 2024

Conservative figures show that more than 6,000 women and 11,000 children were killed in Gaza by the Israeli military over the past 12 months, says Oxfam.

More women and children have been killed in the Gaza Strip by the Israeli military over the past year than in the equivalent period of any other conflict over the past two decades, according to a new analysis by Oxfam.

Conservative figures show that more than 6,000 women and 11,000 children were killed in Gaza by the Israeli military over the past 12 months, the aid organization said in a press statement. It said data from 2004 to 2021 on direct conflict deaths from the Small Arms Survey, estimates that the highest number of women killed in a single year was over 2,600 in Iraq in 2016.

“These staggering figures are both appalling and heartbreaking,” Sally Abi Khalil, Oxfam’s Middle East and North Africa Director said.

She emphasized that “Influential actors in the international community have not only failed to hold Israel to account, they are also complicit in the atrocities by continuing to unconditionally supply it with arms.”

“It will take generations to recover from the devastating impacts of this war and there is still no ceasefire in sight,” she added.

Strikes ‘Once Every Three Hours’

According to Oxfam, a report by the organization Every Casualty Counts examined information on over 11,000 children killed across the first 2.5 years of the Syria conflict, an average of over 4,700 deaths a year.

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UN reports on Children and Armed Conflict over the last 18 years show that no other conflicts killed a higher number of children in one year.

Oxfam said separate data from Action on Armed Violence up to September 23 “shows that Israel hit civilian infrastructure across Gaza with explosive weapons once every three hours on average since the war began.”

“Other than the six-day humanitarian pause last November, there were just two days in the entire year without bombardment,” it added.

Records, which are not comprehensive, said Oxfam, show that Israeli explosive weapons hit on average:

  • Homes every four hours
  • Tents and temporary shelters every 17 hours
  • Schools and hospitals every four days
  • Aid distribution points and warehouses every 15 days

Violations of IHL

“Throughout the last year, Israel has committed serious violations of international humanitarian law at a level which may rise to the level of crimes against humanity,” stressed Oxfam.

This includes a level of destruction observed which is “indicative of Israel’s use of disproportionate force in relation to military objectives and a failure to discriminate between military targets and the civilian population.”

The Israeli military “has relentlessly targeted infrastructure indispensable to civilian survival. Civilians have been forcibly displaced dozens of times to so-called ‘safe zones’ that fail to meet humanitarian obligations and have also been regularly bombed or attacked.”

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Oxfam said the UN Children and Armed Conflict reports show the number of Palestinian children killed by conflict in Gaza and the West Bank.

“Over the last year, more than five times more children were killed in Gaza than between 2005 to 2022 in total,” the organization stated.

Scores Unidentified, Missing

The record number of women and children killed in Gaza does not include those among nearly 20,000 people who are either unidentified, missing or entombed beneath rubble.

“The past year has had a devastating impact with women bearing a double burden. Many have suddenly become the heads of their households, navigating survival and care in the midst of destruction,” said Dr Umaiyeh Khammash, director of Oxfam partner, Juzoor.

Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers have faced immense difficulties, including from the collapse in healthcare services, Khammash added.

“For children, the trauma is equally profound,” he said. “Over 25,000 children have either lost a parent or become orphans, leaving them in deep emotional distress. Most children are grappling with anxiety and severe physical injuries, with many having lost limbs.”

West Bank

In the occupied West Bank, the unprecedented escalation and levels of violence are raising concerns that serious violations of international law and war crimes are being committed, Oxfam noted.

Since last October, more than 680 Palestinians have been killed either by Israeli settlers or military violence, the organization said.

More than a thousand settler attacks on Palestinians have been recorded, with direct attacks on agricultural land resulting in the destruction of crops, irrigation systems and greenhouses, including internationally-funded and Oxfam-supported projects.

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The Israeli military “has forced the demolition of more than 2,000 Palestinian homes with massive damage to public infrastructure including roads.”

Calling for an immediate ceasefire, Oxfam said that in light of the recent International Court of Justice advisory opinion “and in order to avoid complicity, third states must do everything in their power to bring an immediate end to the illegal Israeli occupation, the removal of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and reparations paid, including restitution, rehabilitation, and compensation for affected communities.”

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