Gaza 19 Months On: Over 62,000 Killed or Missing as Israel Drops 100,000 Tons of Explosives
Gaza’s government media office reports staggering human and infrastructural losses amid what it calls a U.S.-backed genocide, including mass family exterminations, medical collapse, and $42 billion in economic damage.
Watan-On Thursday, the Government Media Office in Gaza reported that the Israeli army has dropped over 100,000 tons of explosives on the Gaza Strip since the war began on October 7, 2023, resulting in more than 62,000 Palestinians killed or missing in one of the deadliest wars in modern Middle Eastern history.
In a report marking 19 months since the war began, the office stated that Israel had committed over 12,000 massacres, including 11,926 targeting Palestinian families, which led to the extermination of 2,200 families and the erasure of 6,350 individuals from civil records.
The report further revealed that over 10,000 Palestinians remain buried under rubble, while the Israeli military has stolen the bodies of 2,300 martyrs from cemeteries across Gaza. Additionally, it has created seven mass graves within hospitals, from which 529 bodies have so far been recovered.
Gaza Faces Health System Collapse, Mass Displacement, and Widespread Infrastructure Destruction
In terms of religious and civil infrastructure, the report documented the complete destruction of 828 mosques and partial damage to 167 others, in addition to the destruction of three churches and 19 cemeteries. Under a policy of siege and starvation, Israeli forces also targeted 66 humanitarian facilities and blocked 37,400 aid and fuel trucks since the crossings were sealed over two months ago.
The report highlights an unprecedented housing collapse, with 210,000 housing units fully destroyed, 110,000 severely damaged, and 180,000 partially damaged, displacing 280,000 families. Over 2 million displaced persons now live in inhuman conditions, with 113,000 tents deemed uninhabitable.
Education Wiped Out, Economy Crushed, and Health in Ruin Amid U.S.-Backed Gaza War
In the education sector, Israel has completely destroyed 143 educational institutions and partially damaged 366 more, depriving 785,000 students of access to education. More than 13,000 students, 800 teachers, and 150 academics have been killed.
Economic losses are estimated at over $42 billion, including $1.25 billion in agriculture, where 92% of farmland and 85% of greenhouses have been destroyed, causing vegetable production to plummet from 405,000 tons to just 49,000 annually.
Massive damage was also reported to infrastructure, including the destruction of 719 water wells, 330,000 meters of water networks, 655,000 meters of sewage systems, 3,780 kilometers of power grids, and 2,105 electricity transformers.
The report also listed the destruction of 206 archaeological sites and 46 sports facilities, with the fishing sector completely wiped out. It warned that 60,000 pregnant women are at risk, alongside 350,000 patients with chronic illnesses who lack access to medication under the ongoing blockade.
Since the war began, more than 172,000 Palestinians have been killed or injured, most of them women and children, with over 11,000 reported missing. The media office described the war as part of a U.S.-backed campaign of genocide.
