Gaza war one of bloodiest in 21st century: Report

By Zein Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) - In a recent investigation, Israel’s Haaretz daily highlighted the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza as one of the “bloodiest” wars of the 21st century.

According to the newspaper, the war has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of Palestinians, many of whom were in zones previously designated as “safe” by the Israeli military.

The report criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for accusing “the international community of hypocrisy concerning the war in the Gaza Strip – and to claim it is ignoring other conflicts and humanitarian disasters.”

For example, Netanyahu in January said: “Where was South Africa when millions were killed or expelled from their homes in Syria and Yemen?”

“But a cold examination of the numbers killed in the Gaza Strip reveals this is one of the bloodiest wars since the beginning of the century, especially if you examine the rate of mortality out of the total population,” the report added.

Haaretz pointed out that the Gaza war has resulted in an extraordinarily high death toll, with approximately 40,000 Palestinians killed since the onslaught began on Oct. 7 last year -- equating to around 2% of Gaza's population of two million.

-Targeting safe areas

Despite the Israeli army's designation of certain areas in Gaza as “safe areas,” the daily said that “most of the residents of Gaza have been displaced, but their escape to areas the Israel Defense Forces (army) has designated as safe zones has not always helped, and many have been killed in these areas too.”

The Israeli forces have repeatedly targeted “safe areas” where displaced civilians gathered, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people, including women and children.

The report noted that international organizations and media outlets have consistently verified the casualty figures provided by Gaza's Ministry of Health.

As of Wednesday, the ministry reported nearly 40,000 Palestinian deaths and over 92,000 injuries due to the ongoing war, with more than 10,000 people still missing under the rubble.

Haaretz compared the Gaza conflict to other major humanitarian disasters.

“In the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar, for example, about 25,000 people have been killed, according to the United Nations.

“The war in Gaza also stands out in comparison to wars from the 1990s, for example those that took place in the former state of Yugoslavia. One of these regions was Bosnia, and in the worst year of the conflict, 1991, the average number of deaths per month was 2,097 – and the total number killed over four years there was 63,000,” it added.

- 4,000 fatalities per month

The newspaper highlighted the alarming death rate in Gaza, which averages around 4,000 fatalities per month, far surpassing the monthly death toll in Ukraine's ongoing conflict.

One of the most striking aspects of the Gaza war, according to Haaretz, is the lack of safe refuge for civilians. The densely populated, 360-square-kilometer (139-square-mile) area offers little to no escape for non-combatants, further exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.

“The difference that stands out the most between the rest of the wars of the 21st century and the war in the Gaza Strip is the size of the territory where the fighting is taking place, and the inability of the uninvolved civilians to flee the battles – and in particular the percentage of casualties among the overall population,” the newspaper elaborated.​​​​​​​

Living conditions for displaced civilians in so-called “humanitarian” zones are dire, with overcrowding, disease and a lack of shelter and medical supplies. Haaretz emphasized the staggering impact of the war, noting that 2% of Gaza's population has been killed in less than a year—a level of destruction rarely seen outside of Africa since World War II.

Michael Spagat, a professor at the University of London who specializes in monitoring conflict casualties, told Haaretz that “in terms of the total number of dead, I assume Gaza won't be among the 10 most violent conflicts of the 21st century.”

"But compared to the percentage of the population killed," Spagat assumes it is already “among the top five.”

The devastation in Gaza has led to widespread starvation and malnutrition, particularly among children. As of Wednesday, 115 infants had died since the start of the war, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health. The ministry also reported that 37 Palestinians, including children, have succumbed to hunger and malnutrition during the conflict.

Adding to the grim toll, Gaza's Civil Defense announced the deaths of two more rescue workers in Rafah on Wednesday, bringing the total number of first responders killed since Oct. 7 to 82.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack last year by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

Nearly 40,000 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and over 92,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

More than 10 months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

The International Court of Justice has accused Israel of genocide and ordered a halt to its military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge before the city was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio