*Letter published by experts in the British medical journal estimated that some 10,000 people could still be buried in the rubble in Gaza* Middle East Eye, staff, July 8 https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/gaza-death-toll-could-exceed-186000-lancet-warns
A letter written by experts and published in the British medical journal, the Lancet, estimates that the actual death toll of Palestinians killed in Gaza could exceed 186,000. The official death toll of Palestinians killed since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October is 38,153, according to Gaza's health ministry. However, the letter emphasised that this figure is likely a dramatic underestimate and does not account for the thousands of people buried under the rubble or for the mounting "indirect" deaths as a result of Israel's destruction of Gaza's food distribution, healthcare and sanitation systems. "The total death toll is expected to be large given the intensity of this conflict; destroyed health-care infrastructure; severe shortages of food, water, and shelter; the population’s inability to flee to safe places; and the loss of funding to UNRWA, one of the very few humanitarian organizations still active in the Gaza Strip," the letter said. . . . *Gaza death toll could reach half a million: Lancet* *The leading medical journal says that 'indirect deaths' of Palestinians from Israel's destruction of civilian infrastructure would far exceed those killed directly by the bombing* The Cradle, News Desk, July 8 https://thecradle.co/articles/gaza-death-toll-could-reach-half-a-million-lancet . . . The writers point to another crucial factor in determining the number of those killed by Israel's assault on Gaza: indirect deaths. “Even if the conflict ends immediately, there will continue to be many indirect deaths in the coming months and years” due to disease, destroyed healthcare infrastructure, and severe shortages of food and water, the authors write. For example, “Children in Gaza have been dying from starvation-related complications since the Israeli government began using starvation as a weapon of war,” Human Rights Watch noted in April. “In recent conflicts, such indirect deaths range from three to 15 times the number of direct deaths. Applying a conservative estimate of four indirect deaths per one direct death to the 37,396 deaths reported, it is not implausible to estimate that up to 186,000 or even more deaths could be attributable to the current conflict in Gaza,” the authors concluded. Such a “conservative estimate” of the death toll would amount to 7.9 percent of Gaza's population of 2.3 million. If the conflict were to end immediately with 37,396 direct deaths, and the upper bound of 15 indirect deaths per direct death is used, a total death toll of 598,336, or 26 percent of the population, would be expected. The lower bound of 3 indirect deaths per direct death would result in an estimated 149,584 total deaths. Because Israel's bombing campaign in Gaza is deliberately destroying the infrastructure needed to support human life, the mortality rate among Palestinians may remain high long after the assault has stopped. . . . -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#31063): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/31063 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/107116468/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/8674936/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
