The Number of Palestinian Casualties Exceeds 100,000, Reports the WHO

At the request of the Algerian government, the United Nations Security Council held an emergency session on Jan. 31 to discuss giving “enforceable effect” to the provisional measures the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to take. The draft resolution prepared by Algeria was not made public, but reportedly called for an immediate ceasefire, which the United States ambassador indicated would be vetoed if it were submitted to a vote.

The special session was opened by Martin Griffiths, UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian affairs, who gave a detailed description of the devastation in Gaza, and called for the funding of UNRWA to be restored, as well as the release of the hostages and a ceasefire. (Note that even Britain’s Channel 4 and the Financial Times have reported that the Israeli intelligence document claiming a handful of UNRWA workers were involved in the Oct. 7 attacks presents “no evidence” to back that claim.)

The World Health Organization estimates that the total number of Palestinian casualties — killed, wounded or missing and presumed dead — exceeds 100,000. That figure was reported by WHO representative for the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT), Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, on Feb. 2. He pointed out that only 13 out of the 36 hospitals in Gaza are partially functioning, and only 13 of the 73 primary healthcare centers. That in itself means the number of deaths will certainly increase.

The Guardian of London has published a shocking, well-documented investigation into the destruction of buildings in Gaza, using satellite data to identify areas of destruction or damage to buildings. “Entire buildings have been leveled, fields flattened and places of worship wiped off the map”, according to this report. “The destruction has not only forced 1.9 million people to leave their homes but also made it impossible for many to return. This has led some experts to describe what is happening in Gaza as ‘domicide’, defined as the widespread, deliberate destruction of the home to make it uninhabitable, preventing the return of displaced people.” An earlier UN satellite study from December found that 39% of all agricultural land in Gaza had been affected.

However, the destruction will be even more deadly and more long-term if the Israeli Defense Forces carry out their plan to to flood with sea water the tunnel system in Gaza, which is allegedly used by Hamas terrorists. The IDF confirmed on Jan. 30 that the flooding operation had begun, claiming they were using “new capabilities” to do so. Hydrologists warn that it will pollute the aquifers for up to 100 years, and deprive up to 85% of the population from access to clean water, in addition to making it impossible to rebuild above the flooded areas.