Harun Nasrullah
The Palestinian death toll has soared past 40,000, with about 10,000 men, women, and children still unaccounted for, reports the Gaza Government Media Office on August 12. The report reveals that 36 children have died from malnutrition, highlighting severe shortages. Among the deceased are 11,088 women, 885 medical staff, 79 Civil Defence members, and 168 journalists.
Healthcare providers, already overwhelmed, have reported 310 detained individuals and the discovery of seven mass graves in hospitals, containing 520 bodies. The conflict has also wounded 92,152 people, with 69 percent being women and children. Military strikes have destroyed 175 shelters, leaving 17,000 children orphaned or with only one parent, their futures irreparably altered.
A recent study by the London-based *The Lancet*, a leading medical journal, disputes Israeli claims that Gaza’s death toll is inflated, suggesting it could exceed 186,000. The study notes that many Palestinians are buried under rubble and that the official death count doesn’t include indirect deaths from destroyed health facilities and infrastructure.
The crisis is further exacerbated by severe restrictions on humanitarian aid. On August 2, the UN revealed that Israeli authorities obstructed more than half of the planned aid deliveries to northern Gaza in July. UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq stated, “Of the 157 aid missions scheduled for northern Gaza last month, only 67 were permitted by Israeli authorities.”
The International Court of Justice has accused Israel of genocide, demanding an immediate cessation of its military actions in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians sought refuge before the city’s invasion in May.
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