Israel's war on Gaza: One year on

JERUSALEM:

During the past year, Israel's war on Gaza has escalated dramatically, with the israeli Defense Forces (IDF) carrying out extensive attacks that have included bombing more than 40,000 targets, uncovering 4,700 tunnel shafts, and destroying 1,000 rocket launcher sites.

These actions coincide with the one-year anniversary of the attack, led by the Hamas resistence movement, that was followedby Israel's assault on the enclave.

As of now, the Israeli military has reported the deaths of 726 soldiers since October 7, 2023. Of these, 380 were killed during the initial attacks, while 346 lost their lives in subsequent combat operations that began on October 27.

Additionally, 4,576 troops have been injured, and 56 soldiers have died due to operational accidents, the specifics of which have not been disclosed.

Marking the anniversary of the conflict, the Israeli military announced that it has enlisted 300,000 reservists since the war began, comprising 82% men and 18% women, with nearly half of these individuals aged between 20 and 29.

The military has also reported that since the start of the war, a total of 13,200 rockets have been fired into Israel from Gaza, with another 12,400 launched from Lebanon, as well as smaller numbers from Syria, Yemen, and Iran.

In its operations, Israel claims to have killed more than 800 "terrorists" in Lebanon, while conducting airstrikes on 4,900 targets and approximately 6,000 ground targets.

Additionally, over the past year, Israeli forces have arrested more than 5,000 suspects in the occupied West Bank and Jordan Valley, including the deaths of eight Gaza militant brigade commanders, around 30 battalion commanders, and 165 company commanders.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire, Israel has continued a relentless offensive on Gaza following an attack by Hamas last October.

Israel has killed close to 42,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in the year since, and woudned nearly 97,000 others, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.​

6 more Palestinians killed by Israeli army in Gaza City, Khan Younis PHOTO:Anadolu Agency

The impact on civilians, particularly children, has been devastating. Reports indicate that Israel has targeted over 500 schools in Gaza over the past ten months.

The actions of the Israeli military, combined with the government's blockade of Gaza—which imposes strict limitations on humanitarian assistance—have caused significant trauma and hardship for Palestinian children, especially those with disabilities.

Photo: Reuters

The Palestinian Civil Defense has estimated that over 10,000 individuals, both adults and children, are still missing under the rubble of destroyed buildings.

The attacks have also resulted in severe injuries, with many children facing permanent disabilities and lasting scars.

The Health Ministry in Gaza has indicated that more than 95,500 individuals have been injured, and the World Health Organization estimates that over 22,500 of these injuries were recorded by July 23, 2024.

Rescuers work to recover the body of a Palestinian girl from under the rubble of a house hit in Gaza City. Photo REUTERS

Since the onset of the conflict on October 7, nearly 1.9 million Palestinians have been displaced from their homes and communities, which includes approximately one million children.

Palestinians react at the site of an Israeli strike that destroyed several houses, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip August 27, 2024. PHOTO: REUTERS

Tragically, at least 19,000 children have lost their caregivers or have become orphans as a direct result of Israel's ongoing onslaught.