Reuters
CENTRAL GAZA STRIP: The ongoing Israel war on Gaza has led to a six-per cent decline in Gaza population from the previous year, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS).
Latest release showed the estimated population of Gaza Strip for 2024 decreased to 2.1 million.
The PCBS data revealed that the Israeli military operations have left 45,484 dead, approximately 11,000 missing and around 107,000 injured in Gaza.
Furthermore, about 100,000 Palestinians have been forced to flee the Gaza Strip.
Approx 60,000 pregnant women at risk
Approximately 60,000 pregnant women in Gaza are at risk due to the lack of health care and over 150,000 pregnant and lactating women lack access to essential pre- and post-natal healthcare services, according to PCBS.
The PCBS cited report from the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education saying that more than 77 public schools had been completely destroyed until the end of September 2024, while 191 schools have been bombed and vandalized.
The release put the number of the students in Gaza killed due to the Israeli attacks at 11,714 while teachers at 463.
The PCBS data indicated a complete collapse of Gaza’s economy and a sharp downturn in the West Bank.
Over 50pc unemployment rate
In 2024, Palestine’s GDP decreased by 28 per cent, with a 51 per cent unemployment rate.
Gaza’s GDP saw an 82 per cent decrease year-on-year, with unemployment rate reaching 80 per cent and poverty rate nearing 80 per cent.
The trade exchange with the outside world in the Gaza Strip is coming to a standstill due to the near-total disruption of supply chains into and out of the Gaza Strip, said the PCBS, noting the disruption led to a health and food crisis, with basic commodities, medicines, health supplies, and food provided not exceeding five per cent of the necessary quantities required in the Gaza Strip.
On the same day, a report published by the UN Human Rights Office found that Israel’s pattern of deadly attacks on and around hospitals in Gaza pushed the healthcare system to the brink of total collapse, with catastrophic effect, according to spokesperson Jeremy Laurence.
The report said attacks against hospitals and non-military objectives are war crimes.
It also warned that a systemic pattern of rights abuses against civilians could constitute crimes against humanity.
Israel’s permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, described the report as fabricated and accused Hamas of using Gaza hospitals for terror activity.
