Since the start of the horrific events of October 7th and the unleashing of the relentless killing in Gaza, The Orkney News has been publishing the figures shared by the United Nations of the numbers killed, injured and missing in Gaza.

Between 7 October 2023 and 4 July 2024, at least 38,011 Palestinians were killed and 87,445 were injured in Gaza, according to Ministry of Health in Gaza. 

Islanders at the Orkney vigil every Saturday on the Kirk Green between 1 and 2pm stand alongside a memorial display of some of the names and numbers of those killed and injured in Gaza. The memorial includes Israeli soldiers, hostages, and mostly (due to the proportion killed), civilians. It has become increasingly difficult to find the names of those slaughtered in Gaza because of the destruction of the medical infrastructure for recording deaths. This is acknowledged in a recent article in The Lancet medical journal, ‘Counting the dead in Gaza: difficult but essential.’

The figures will be much higher than are published because no one knows how many lie in the rubble of buildings. It is estimated that 10,000 bodies lie in the rubble. Many will die from inadequately treated wounds (including amputations), and there will be deaths from the disease and starvation which is rampaging through the makeshift shelters.

In recent conflicts, such indirect deaths range from three to 15 times the number of direct deaths. Applying a conservative estimate of four indirect deaths per one direct death to the 37 396 deaths reported, it is not implausible to estimate that up to 186 000 or even more deaths could be attributable to the current conflict in Gaza.

Using the 2022 Gaza Strip population estimate of 2 375 259, this would translate to 7·9% of the total population in the Gaza Strip. A report from Feb 7, 2024, at the time when the direct death toll was 28 000, estimated that without a ceasefire there would be between 58 260 deaths (without an epidemic or escalation) and 85 750 deaths (if both occurred) by Aug 6, 2024. – Counting the dead in Gaza

When the USA, the UK and some other countries withdrew funding from the relief agency UNWRA it had a devastating impact on being able to provide essential medical, food and fuel supplies. Israel has paid no attention to the demands of the United Nations, World Court Decision on #Gaza “emphasizes that the State of Israel remains bound to fully comply with its obligations under the Genocide Convention”.

The International Criminal Court, ICC, on Monday 20th May, sought arrest warrants for the leaders of Hamas and Israel for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the war in Gaza.

The Lancet article written by Rasha Khatib, Martin McKee , and Salim Yusuf states that an ” immediate and urgent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is essential, accompanied by measures to enable the distribution of medical supplies, food, clean water, and other resources for basic human needs.”

There are still more than 120 hostages being held in Gaza. The Israeli operation is not about rescuing them, it is the genocide of a people and their culture.

You can read the article here Published: July 05, 2024DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(24)01169-3

Fiona Grahame