this post was submitted on 23 Oct 2023
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Israel has continued bombarding Gaza’s south despite telling 1.1 million people in the north of the besieged enclave to relocate there ahead of an expected ground offensive.

“We were displaced from Tal al-Hawa to Rafah at the request of the Israeli army, and this is what happened to us. My son is a 3-month-old martyr,” the father of a child killed in an attack in Rafah told Al Jazeera.

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[–] Pxtl@lemmy.ca 30 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Does the UN or some other more neutral org have numbers? I mean, the Gaza Ministry of Health kinda has incentive to exaggerate civilian casualties, just like the IDF has incentive to say "everyone in that playground we hit with that airstrike was an Islamic Jihad Terrorist".

[–] Eldritch@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

While I definitely kind of agree with the sentiment. Just statistically. It would be hard for this to not be true. The numbers overall might be a little different. But considering the average person in Palestine is 18 to 19 years old. Age groups over that rapidly dwindling. It's pretty much a foregone conclusion that at least half, if not more, would be children.

[–] Pxtl@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Oh, I don't doubt the Israelis are killing a crapload of children. I just would rather see the exact numbers from a more neutral party.

[–] SheeEttin@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You'll never see exact numbers. Some people don't have anyone to report them missing, some bodies are never identified, and some are never found or completely destroyed.

That is a thought that terrifies me more than any other.

[–] Eldritch@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes 5000 is horrifically high. And if there's anything we've learned from watching the atrocities unfold over the last 70 years. Is that you don't believe either side without evidence.

[–] Historical_General@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ukraine's total death toll is only 8000/9000 so far. 5000 in two weeks is genocidal.

Thats not even unrealistic to me when I remember the fact Gazas been bombed more in two weeks that Afghanistan ever got in a full years time. Afghanistan has a land area of a quarter of a million square miles and Gaza has an area of under 150 square miles.

[–] TylerDurdenJunior@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 year ago

it is such a weird angle to take, since the Gaza concentration camp is shut off from the rest of the world, without power. Journalists are not allowed in, neither are any and all humanitarian organizations.

Until the apartheid state open up the Gaza concentration camp, we will just have to take their word for it.

When Israel makes any claims, the outside world can in one way or another visit, inspect and verify.

If Israel wants more certainty on statistics of innocent dead people, they should end their siege.

[–] pascal@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago

The WHO released some concerning numbers.

I know Lemmists here don't trust anything from WHO but that's all I got.

[–] timidgoat@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 year ago

You're absolutely right that there will be variance, and that each side has incentive to inflate death counts, etc. Other orgs will likely not produce their own numbers until after this mess is over. Check the Wiki pages or B'Tselem pages on previous assaults on Gaza to see how the numbers can vary, that'll give you an idea at least.