MORE women and children have been killed in Gaza by the Israeli military over the past year than in the equivalent period of any other conflict over the past two decades, according to research by a leading charity.
Oxfam said that according to its “harrowing” and conservative “at best” figures, more than 6000 women and 11,000 children were killed in Gaza by the Israeli military over the last 12 months.
This data surpasses the previous highest number of women killed in a single year in the last two decades which was more than 2600 in Iraq in 2016 – according to data from the Small Arms Survey.
According to reports from the UN Children and Armed Conflict over the last 18 years no other conflicts have killed a higher number of children in one year.
Separate data from Action on Armed Violence showed that Israel hit civilian infrastructure across Gaza with explosive weapons once every three hours on average since the war began.
The records, which are not comprehensive, showed that tents and temporary shelters were bombed every 17 hours, schools and hospitals every four days and aid distribution points and warehouses every 15 days.
Records also showed that other than the six-day humanitarian pause last November, there were just two days in the entire year when the area wasn’t bombarded with explosives.
Oxfam has also said most civilian infrastructure has either been destroyed or severely damaged, including more than two-thirds of all cropland and roads.
The charity also said only 17 out of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remain partially functional, and they all suffer from a lack of fuel, medical supplies, and clean water.
It added that the record number of women and children killed in Gaza does not include the 20,000 people who are either unidentified, missing, or entombed beneath the rubble and bomb debris.
Halima Begum, Oxfam GB’s chief executive, has called upon the UK Government to step up and ban arms sales to Israel in a bid to stop the killing of the people in Palestine.
She said: “It is impossible to comprehend the scale of the destruction and the number of people killed by Israel’s military in the last 12 months. More harrowing still, those numbers are conservative at best.
“When we look back at the political inertia of UK governments this year and the continued flow of arms to Israel, history will surely judge that the UK could have done far more to protect human rights and save the lives of thousands of women and children.
“While there has been a partial suspension of arms licences, the UK Government continues to allow the export of arms to Israel despite knowing that they risk being used to perpetrate war crimes and fuel this appalling bloodshed. By continuing to allow the delivery of F-35 components for Israeli fighter jets, the UK remains complicit in the unlawful killing of Palestinian civilians. It has long been time for half-measures and issuing mere platitudes about peace to stop.
“At this critical juncture, the UK needs to step up and use every last vestige of its influence to help bring an end to the death and destruction and curb the risk of a further regional escalation. Those people in Gaza who are still alive today despite the odds, whether Palestinian civilians or Israeli hostages, deserve nothing less.”
Israel’s military assault in Gaza began last October, following the attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups, at a music festival where almost 1200 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed, including at least 282 women and 36 children.
The attacks on October 7 have been reported as the deadliest day in Israel’s history.
More than 250 people, including 38 children, were taken hostage, 96 of whom are reported to be still held in Gaza.
The UN Children and Armed Conflict reports show the number of Palestinian children killed in Gaza and the West Bank and that over the last year, more than five times more children were killed in Gaza than between 2005 and 2022 in total.
Oxfam has condemned Israel’s attacks on the people in Gaza and said the country has committed serious violations of International Humanitarian Law which may rise to the level of crimes against humanity.
The charity said Israel’s force has been disproportionate and has failed to discriminate between military targets and the civilian population while “relentlessly” targeting infrastructure indispensable to civilian survival.
Dr Umaiyeh Khammash, director of Oxfam partner Juzoor, which is supporting hundreds of thousands of people in more than 90 shelters and health points across Gaza, said: “The past year has had a devastating impact with women bearing a double burden.
“Many have suddenly become the heads of their households, navigating survival and care in the midst of destruction. Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers have faced immense difficulties, including from the collapse in healthcare services.
“For children, the trauma is equally profound. Over 25,000 children have either lost a parent or become orphans, leaving them in deep emotional distress. Most children are grappling with anxiety and severe physical injuries, with many having lost limbs.”
Earlier this year The Lancet published a study which estimated the true number of deaths in Gaza could be over 186,000.
The study took indirect deaths into consideration, like starvation and lack of access to health care, for example.
Oxfam is now calling for an immediate, permanent ceasefire, and the release of all hostages and unlawfully detained Palestinians.
It has also called for an end to all arms sales to Israel and full access across Gaza for humanitarian aid.
The Israeli embassy has been approached for comment.
