Report reveals deadly risk for more than 8 thousand people in the Gaza Strip

A report, released on Monday (19), by independent researchers from the United States and Great Britain, cited by the agency ‘Reuters’, points out that even if the fighting in the Gaza Strip ceased today, more than 8 One thousand people would be at risk of death in the next six months due to the public health crisis resulting from the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Mortality projections in Gaza

According to the study carried out by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health, hospitals in Gaza were severely affected by the fighting, leaving more than 85% of the 2.3 million inhabitants of the Palestinian territory homeless. As a result, cases of malnutrition and illnesses such as diarrhea have increased significantly in overcrowded shelters.

Researchers project that if fighting continues or increases, most of the additional deaths in Gaza will be due to traumatic injuries. However, an increase in deaths related to malnutrition and infectious diseases such as cholera is also expected due to a lack of access to adequate medical care.

In the most pessimistic scenario, where fighting intensifies and disease outbreaks occur, it is estimated that around 85,570 people could die by the beginning of August, with more than 68,000 deaths related to traumatic injuries.

Even in the event of a ceasefire, approximately 11,580 people could still die in the same period, if a disease outbreak worsens the challenges of rebuilding the sanitation and health system in Gaza. Of these, about 3,250 deaths were due to long-term complications of traumatic injuries and 8,330 from other causes, according to the report.

_{Image of the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza strip (Photo: reproduction/Reddit)}

Mortality statistics

Since October 7, more than 29,000 people have been killed in the fighting, according to official data from the Gaza Ministry of Health, controlled by Hamas. Estimates of additional deaths include both civilians and combatants, and researchers warn of the unpredictability of war and disease outbreaks, resulting in a wide range of estimates.

The report, funded by the British government, seeks to provide greater clarity on the number of deaths in Gaza in light of the challenges faced in counting casualties.

Featured photo: Israeli soldiers near the border between Israel and Gaza (Reproduction/Amir Cohen/Reuters)