Unbearable Losses: Over 42,000 Dead and 2.5 Million Displaced

In one year, the war in Gaza has claimed the lives of more than 42,000 Palestinians. Among them are 16,891 children, 11,458 women, 2,419 elderly, and nearly 1,500 members of medical, press, and educational teams. These figures are staggering, but the human cost goes deeper. Over 10,000 people remain missing beneath the rubble, with little hope of recovery. Almost every resident of Gaza has experienced displacement, and many have fled multiple times in a desperate bid to survive.

Entire families have been wiped from existence. According to an investigation by the Associated Press, at least 60 Palestinian families were erased from the civil registry in Gaza between October and December of 2023. The scale of loss is beyond comprehension, with some families losing more than 50 members. Many have no one left to document their tragedy.

Gaza: A Wasteland of Destruction

The war has not only decimated human life but also obliterated Gaza’s physical landscape. Over 66% of buildings have been reduced to ruins. More than 360,000 housing units have been damaged, and over 25,000 homes completely destroyed. Entire communities have been flattened, and what remains is uninhabitable. Streets have been torn apart, schools and hospitals have been leveled, and even religious sites have not been spared. The once-bustling urban centers of Gaza now resemble ghost towns, haunted by the memories of those who lived there.

Satellite imagery reveals the grim reality: Khan Younis, Rafah, and Gaza City are now among the most heavily damaged areas. The Israeli strategy has not only targeted infrastructure but sought to strip the Palestinian people of any semblance of normal life. Daily airstrikes have made even survival feel like a miracle.

A Land Besieged: The Reoccupation of Gaza

For 19 years, Gaza had lived under siege, but it had not been reoccupied by Israel since its withdrawal in 2005. That changed after October 7, 2023, when Israeli forces began to systematically reoccupy the territory. Over the course of three brutal phases, Israel has reasserted its control over Gaza. First came the destruction of the northern region, followed by the forced displacement of millions to the south. Now, in the third phase, Israel has completely occupied the area, including the strategic Rafah crossing.

What started as a military operation to “neutralize Hamas” has turned into an overt campaign to reclaim Gaza, furthering the Zionist vision of pushing Palestinians off their ancestral lands. Israel now controls every inch of Gaza, and its forces continue to wreak havoc through daily raids, bombings, and ground assaults.

Gaza’s Economy in Ruins: The Collapse of an Entire Society

The ongoing genocide has decimated Gaza’s already fragile economy. According to UNCTAD, Gaza’s GDP has collapsed by 81% since the last quarter of 2023. The agricultural sector, which once provided food security for the region, has been obliterated, with up to 96% of assets destroyed. Livestock, irrigation systems, and even basic infrastructure like food storage have been wiped out.

With more than 82% of Gaza’s businesses destroyed and two-thirds of the population unemployed, poverty has become the norm. The people of Gaza now rely entirely on aid for survival—aid that has become increasingly scarce as international funding dries up. For many, there is no prospect of recovery; survival is the only goal.

The West Bank: The Bloodiest Year Since 2005

While Gaza bears the brunt of the destruction, the West Bank has seen a sharp increase in violence as well. In 2023, more than 722 Palestinians were killed, marking the deadliest year since the second intifada. The situation escalated further as Israeli settlers, emboldened by the war, have carried out violent attacks on Palestinian civilians under the protection of the Israeli army.

Israeli airstrikes, once rare in the West Bank, have now become a common occurrence, with multiple raids and military incursions into Palestinian cities, including the heavily targeted Jenin refugee camp. The year 2023 was also marked by the deployment of over 23 battalions of Israeli forces in the West Bank, suffocating daily life with more than 750 military checkpoints.

Education Under Siege: Schools and Universities in Ruins

The future of Gaza’s children has been gravely compromised. The ongoing attacks have completely destroyed 456 schools and universities, with more than 93% of educational facilities now unusable. More than 11,600 students have been killed, alongside 750 teachers. For the second consecutive year, education has come to a standstill in Gaza.

The Israeli military has targeted educational institutions in a deliberate attempt to break the future of Palestinian society. Without schools, universities, or any safe place to learn, an entire generation is growing up without education or hope for a better tomorrow.

A People Pushed to the Brink

As the war drags on, so does the suffering of Palestinians. Gaza’s once vibrant cities are now in ruins, its people live under constant fear of death, and its children grow up in a world where survival is a daily struggle. The numbers are horrifying: tens of thousands dead, millions displaced, and an entire population living in abject poverty.

The genocide continues, and the world watches. One year has passed, and the suffering shows no sign of abating. For the Palestinians of Gaza, each day is a fight for survival in a war that seeks to erase not just their homes, but their very existence.