The Human Cost of War on Gaza's Children

Life expectancy is one measure of a society's health and stability. It tells a story of peace and progress, or one of conflict and collapse.

For two decades, despite the blockade and periods of extraordinary violence, life expectancy in Gaza slowly climbed.

In its occupier Israel, and other developed nations like Australia, life expectancy is consistently higher, and its growth more stable. (Australia and Israel have a very similar life expectancy, and has been omitted for clarity.)

To comprehend the scale of what is to come, look at Syria. Its brutal civil war, one of the deadliest of the 21st century, resulted in a catastrophic 10 year drop in life expectancy.

In Gaza, the collapse was more than triple that — in a single year. The war cratered life expectancy, with 33 years of life expectancy erased, a fall that has no modern precedent.

The current conflict began on October 7, 2023, with 1,195 killed in Hamas' attack on Israel.

But October 7 did not occur in a vacuum. To contextualise the violence, we must place it in context. Israel's previous military campaigns in Gaza were devastating, resulting in thousands of Palestinian deaths over decades of violence.

Israel's response has been on a scale which has no precedent. The death toll in Gaza has not just surpassed previous tragedies…

The number of children killed in this conflict alone — over 21,000 — is more than double the total number of people, adults and children, killed in all these previous conflicts combined.

If you held a minute's silence for each child, you would be in silence for more than 2 weeks.

Since the beginning of the war, humanitarian monitors, open source analysts, and news organisations have recorded strikes on civilians and infrastructure.

Each dot represents a single strike. Even at this level, one can that the bombing is relentless and indiscriminate. All in an area 1/5 the size of Melbourne.

So called "safe zones" aren't safe either. 120 attacks have been recorded on these areas.

Even nurses, paramedics, and doctors have not been safe. Over 400 strikes have been levelled at them — either alone, or fired directly at hospitals.

In total, more than 1400 documented strikes have wrecked havoc on Gaza's civilians and infrastructure. Each one represents homes destroyed, children displaced, maimed, permanently disabled — or killed.

After Israel hardened its pre-existing blockade on the 7th of October, the Strip was plunged into famine.

As Gaza starved, Israel blocked lifesaving aid. The UN, meanwhile, warned of a total humanitarian collapse if the minimum 500 truck pre-war minimum was not met.

In response to Israel's indiscriminate military campaign, South Africa brought a court case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing the Israeli government of the crime of genocide.

After two days of public hearings, the ICJ ruled in South Africa's favour for provisional measures. Immediately, aid trucks into the strip decreased by 40%.

On the 29th of February, at least 118 Palestinians were killed by Israeli soldiers as they were collecting aid. An event known as the "Flour Massacre".

In March, the ICJ again ordered Israel to allow unhindered humanitarian response to mass famine and forced starvation in the Strip.

Not three days later, Israeli drones killed seven aid workers working for the World Central Kitchen. The victims, including one Australian — were killed as they fled, car to car.

After international condemnation, two crossings in the north opened, and aid deliveries climbed to 274 trucks per day. To date, aid has not reached this level again.

From the 17th of May, to the 17th of July, a US built "Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore" (JLOTS) floating pier distributed aid off of Gaza's coast.

As JLOTS was dismantled, "Popular Forces", an ISIS linked gang armed and backed by Israel — looted UN convoys under the IDF's watch.

In August, Israel's far-right finance minister suggested it would be "justified and moral" to "starve 2 million people".

As August turned to September, the confirmed death toll climbed to over 41,000.

One year on, the most conservative estimate suggested that 62,413 people in Gaza — most of them young children — had died from starvation.

On the 21st of November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and then Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, alleging forced starvation, and crimes against humanity.

In December, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch concluded that Israel was conducting a genocide in Gaza — through forced starvation, and the blocking of aid.

On the 19th of January, a ceasefire deal was signed, with Israel lifting restrictions on aid into Gaza.

The deal lasted less than two months, with Israel breaking the ceasefire on the 18th of April.