Gaza faces a generational struggle to heal

Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a house in Gaza city on Monday. More than 50,000 fatalities, most of them civilian, mean over 2 per cent of Gaza’s pre-war population – roughly one in 46 people – have perished. ReutersShow less

The war on Gaza has been a conflict punctuated by milestones, each one grimmer than the last. This week’s news from the densely populated Palestinian enclave’s Health Ministry that more than 50,000 Gazans have lost their lives since the start of the war is another macabre moment.

Such a figure is difficult for most people to comprehend. However, for those enmeshed in the daily struggle to survive one of the bloodiest conflicts since the start of the 21st century, the impact of each death is far from abstract. More than 50,000 fatalities, most of them civilian, mean over 2 per cent of Gaza’s prewar population – roughly one in 46 people – have perished.

The effect of such losses on a small population largely consisting of big extended families cannot be overstated. It is possible – likely, even – that in the past 16 months every Gazan has lost someone they knew. Many Israelis know what that means, as most Israelis know someone who was killed, hurt or taken hostage in Hamas’s attack on October 7.

Families flee Beit Hanoun after Israeli army air strikes

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The Health Ministry also notes that nearly 113,280 people in Gaza have been injured since October 7, 2023. Many of these wounds could prove fatal, and many others will be life-changing, depriving families of breadwinners and income while leaving them with incapacitated relatives to care for.

Official casualty reports do not include the widespread war trauma that now permeates Gazan society – the psychological impact of well over a year of bombardment, displacement, disease and malnutrition. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, more than a million children account for 47 per cent of Gaza’s population; it is these young people who are taking the brunt of Israel’s policy of collective punishment for the Hamas attacks of October 7.

But perhaps the worst thing about this collection of gruesome figures is that they may not present the full picture. In January this year, The Lancet medical journal published a report into casualty figures from the first nine months of the conflict. The report's authors concluded that the “exceptionally high mortality rate” during this period produced many more deaths than that reported by Gaza’s Health Ministry. When combined with thousands of missing people in Gaza, many thought to be buried under rubble, it is likely that even 50,000 dead is an underestimate.

It is possible – likely, even – that in the past 16 months every Palestinian in Gaza has lost someone they knew. Many Israelis will also know what that means, as most know someone who was killed, hurt or taken hostage in Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023

Amid this appalling suffering, Israel's government continues to target Palestinians. Late Saturday, the country's security cabinet approved a proposal to set up a new directorate to push for the “voluntary departure" of Palestinians from the enclave. This is just the latest destructive policy that flies in the face of concerted international efforts to bring the war to an end and set a path for long-term peace.

However, the damage wrought in Palestinian society in Gaza in the past 16 months makes it clear that even if the war were to end tomorrow, this community faces a generational struggle to heal. Even before the war, Gaza suffered from an Israeli siege, endemic unemployment, poverty and lack of opportunities. Now that so many of its people have been killed, maimed or left with psychological scars, the effort it will take to keep Gaza Palestinian is increasing exponentially.