Gaza war 'most destructive, fatal conflict' in 21st century: Airwars
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The Israeli aggression in Gaza is incomparable to any other conflict "by almost every metric," according to the not-for-profit company Airwars.
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People check the rubble of a building hit in an overnight Israeli strike in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip (Undated, AFP)
A UK-based war monitor has labeled "Israel's" assault against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since October of last year as the "most destructive and fatal conflict" in recent history.
In the latest toll issued by the Ministry of Health in Gaza on day 435 of the ongoing genocide, the number of martyrs has reached 44,930, with 106,624 wounded since October 7, 2023.
According to a recent report from Airwars, "By almost every metric, the harm to civilians from the first month of the Israeli campaign in Gaza is incomparable with any 21st-century air campaign."
The war "Israel" has waged on Gaza "is by far the most intense, destructive, and fatal conflict for civilians that Airwars has ever documented."
According to the London, UK-based not-for-profit company, at least 5,139 civilians were killed in Gaza in 25 days in October of last year, which is "nearly four times more civilians reported killed in a single month than in any conflict" the firm has documented since its inception in 2014.
In October 2023 alone, Airwars reported at least 65 instances in which at least 20 civilians were killed, significantly tripling the amount of such high-fatality episodes documented by Airwars in any similar time period.
Over 25 days, Airwars reported at least 1,900 children killed by Israeli military action in Gaza, which is roughly seven times greater than the tracking firm's previous deadliest month for children.
The not-for-profit highlighted how Palestinian families were killed in record numbers, including in their homes. “More than nine out of ten women and children were killed in residential buildings. In more than 95 percent of all cases where a woman was killed, at least one child was also killed.”
When people were murdered alongside family members, at least 15 family members were slain, a number "higher than any other conflict."
Airwars emphasized that the analysis took into account patterns of injury and examined trends such as the rate at which civilians were killed, the average number of civilians killed per event, and the rates at which women and children were murdered in Gaza.
96% of Gaza children feel death is imminent, study reveals
A recent study examining children enduring the war in Gaza has revealed that 96% feel their death is imminent, while nearly half express a desire to die due to the trauma they have endured, The Guardian reported.
A needs assessment, conducted by a Gaza-based NGO with support from the War Child Alliance charity, also found that 92% of surveyed children are “not accepting of reality,” 79% experience nightmares, and 73% display signs of aggression.
“This report lays bare that Gaza is one of the most horrifying places in the world to be a child,” said Helen Pattinson, chief executive of War Child UK.
“Alongside the levelling of hospitals, schools and homes, a trail of psychological destruction has caused wounds unseen but no less destructive on children who hold no responsibility for this war," she added.
Conducted in June this year, the survey included responses from parents or caregivers of 504 children from families where at least one child is disabled, injured, or unaccompanied. The sample was divided between northern and southern Gaza and supplemented with detailed interviews.
The psychological survey, released on Wednesday, was conducted by the Community Training Centre for Crisis Management, a Gaza-based organization, with support from the Dutch Relief Alliance and the War Child Alliance.
The report underscored that “the psychological toll on children was severe, with high levels of stress manifested in symptoms such as fear, anxiety, sleep disturbances, nightmares, nail-biting, difficulty concentrating and social withdrawal.”
It explained that “children have witnessed the bombing of their homes and schools, experienced the loss of loved ones, and have been displaced or separated from their families while fleeing for safety.”
