Between 14,500 and 21,560 Palestinians and Israelis have been killed in the recent conflict between Hamas and Israel, according to estimates from the Associated Press, UN, Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, Israeli government and the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health, which is known for reporting reliable numbers in previous conflicts.
This massive death toll comes after the events of Saturday, Oct. 7, when Hamas launched a large-scale surprise attack beginning around 6:30 a.m. on Southern Israel. Initially targeting the Supernova Music Festival, a music festiv
al with around 4,000 attendees celebrating the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, Hamas militants both came in on the ground and flew in using motorized paragliders, indiscriminately killing over 260 attendees and capturing many more.
Following the initial terror attack on the music festival, Hamas members then pushed further into Southern Israel, killing around 1,000 others with an estimated 1,200 killed by the end of the day – 75 percent of whom were civilians.
In addition to the ground attack, a record number of missiles and rockets were launched into Israel from the Gaza Strip, most being quickly deflected by Israeli defense systems such as the Iron Dome. All of this has left an estimated quarter million Israelis displaced and roughly 7,000 injured.
Following the violence, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhu and his cabinet officially declared war against the terrorist organization around 8 a.m. Sunday, Oct 8. Attached to this declaration came overwhelming force, with the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) dropping bombs, launching airstrikes and cutting off power, water and internet to the region, as well as enforcing a blockade against any imports of aid outside a few hundred trucks officials have let in – a number substantially lower than what experts say is needed to keep those in the region alive.
The area, around 140 square miles in size – a little smaller than the city of Portland – has seen the equivalent of 25 tons of explosives as of Nov 2nd, according to the Geneva-based human rights organization Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor. The organization has compared the total damage to the force of more than two Hiroshima atomic bombs.
In addition to these aerial attacks, the IDF began a ground invasion of the Gaza strip on Oct. 27, following their Oct. 13 mandate that every one of the 1.1 million Palestinians in Northern Gaza evacuate south past the Wadi Gaza River, a task tens of thousands who are now trapped in Northern Gaza were unable to complete.
These retaliations have left – according to estimates – over 20,360 Palestinans dead, mostly in Gaza with a few hundred in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Of those, 8,241 were children and 18,940 or 94 percent were civilians. Additionally, some 1.73 million Palestians have been displaced, with the damage to homes, businesses, places of worship and schools incalculable.
Calls for a humanitarian pause have been made by many nations, including the U.S., who supplies the vast majority of military aid to the country. Netanhya initially rejected these suggestions, instead opting to continue the campaign and push IDF forces into a full invasion of Gaza. However, as of Friday, Nov. 24, both sides agreed to a multi-day ceasefire and exchange of prisoners.
