The Guardian: 94% of victims of Israeli strikes in Gaza are civilians
Al-Khamisa News Network - Gaza
Britain’s The Guardian newspaper revealed on Friday evening, citing data from the independent armed conflict monitor “ACLED”, that around 94% of Palestinians killed by the Israeli military in Gaza City since last March were civilians.
Unprecedented casualty rates
The paper said the rate recorded in the report (15 out of every 16 fatalities) is among the highest documented globally in armed conflicts, reflecting the indiscriminate and punitive nature of Israeli military operations.
Since March 18, with Israel resuming its large-scale assault on Gaza, the territory’s Ministry of Health has reported that 12,622 Palestinians have been killed and more than 54,030 others wounded, while “ACLED” estimated that more than 9,500 civilians were among the dead, alongside the killing of at least 40 Hamas commanders and operatives.
Destructive bombardment and raids
Over the past six months Israel has carried out more than 3,500 airstrikes on the Strip, causing widespread destruction that has targeted residential homes, towers, schools and displacement camps.
According to the Gaza government’s media office, between August 11 and September 13 alone the occupation completely or severely destroyed more than 3,600 residential buildings and towers, and demolished around 13,000 tents sheltering displaced people.
Escalating humanitarian catastrophe
These developments come amid the continuation of what the article describes as a genocidal war that Israel has been waging on the Strip since October 7, 2023, which has so far resulted in the deaths of more than 65,174 Palestinians and the wounding of 166,071 others, most of them women and children. Famine has also claimed the lives of 440 Palestinians, including 148 children.
Full occupation a strategic goal
The Guardian noted that the Israeli government approved on August 8 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to reoccupy the Gaza Strip gradually, beginning with Gaza City, which is home to about one million people — a policy reflected in ongoing ground incursions, the destruction of infrastructure and homes, and strikes on hospitals and shelters.
