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Cemeteries

Gaza's Overcrowded Cemeteries: The Humanitarian Crisis of War

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Gaza, a densely populated strip of land, has become a massive graveyard, with new graves stacked on top of old ones. Since October, nearly 2% of Gaza's prewar population has been lost, with the death toll passing 40,000, according to the Health Ministry. The territory's cemeteries are overflowing, and families are forced to bury their loved ones in backyards, parking lots, and even beneath staircases.

Key Takeaways:

  • Over 70% of Gaza's cemeteries have been destroyed or damaged, with more than 20 cemeteries bulldozed and destroyed, according to satellite imagery analyzed by Bellingcat.
  • The death toll in Gaza since October has passed 40,000, with nearly 2% of the prewar population lost, according to the Health Ministry.
  • Families are forced to bury their loved ones in makeshift graves, with many graves marked with chunks of rubble, and headstones are rare.
  • Israel's military has dug up, plowed over, and bombed more than 20 cemeteries, and troops have taken scores of bodies into Israel, searching for hostages.
  • The uncertain fate of relatives' bodies haunts families, with many bodies left on streets or buried in mass graves without identification.
  • Palestinian families are forced to cope with the destruction of cemeteries, funerals being nearly non-existent in Gaza.
  • The human cost of the war is immense, with families losing extended family members, and the dead filling morgues and overflowing cemeteries.

Statistics:

  • Nearly 2% of Gaza's prewar population has been lost since October.
  • Over 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October, according to the Health Ministry.
  • More than 20 cemeteries have been buldozed and destroyed in Gaza, according to Bellingcat.
  • 70% of Gaza's cemeteries have been destroyed or damaged.
  • Over 2,000 bodies have been left on the streets of Gaza.
  • 250 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the war.

Sources:

  • Institute for Palestine Studies
  • Bellingcat
  • Associated Press
  • The Health Ministry, Gaza
  • Palestinian Health Officials
  • Israeli Military Spokesperson

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