Genocide in Numbers: Palestine Accuses Israel of Killing 70,665 People in Gaza and Accelerating Colonization of the West Bank

Original article: Genocidio en cifras: Palestina responsabiliza a Israel de la muerte de 70.665 personas en Gaza y de la colonización acelerada de Cisjordania

The Embassy of the State of Palestine in Chile released a report quantifying the devastating impact of the genocide in the Gaza Strip, holding Israel responsible for the deaths of 70,665 Palestinians, mostly children and women, since the beginning of the offensive on October 7, 2023.

Additionally, over 1,700 healthcare workers have lost their lives amid the ongoing bombardments, and it is estimated that more than 10,000 individuals are missing under the rubble.

The document not only presents victim statistics and data on the aggression, updated until December 16, but also denounces the accelerated colonization of the West Bank and the systematic blockade of humanitarian aid, creating an integral crisis.

Gaza: The Massacre Continues Even After the Ceasefire

The report begins by detailing that despite the ceasefire agreement declared on October 11, 2025, violence has not stopped, and Israel has killed 393 Palestinians in Gaza, with the number of injured since that date reaching 1,065.

Last Wednesday, brutality was exemplified in the Jabalia refugee camp, where three Palestinians, including a woman and a child, were killed.

The report cites Euro-Med to recount a particularly atrocious episode: “Israeli occupation forces (IOF) deliberately ran over Zaher Shamia, 16, with a military bulldozer, crushing him while still alive.”

Furthermore, it is reported that “an Israeli sniper shot and killed a 35-year-old civilian in the Al-Atatra area of Beit Lahiya,” and that “several Palestinians were killed or injured on Saturday when an Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) drone attacked a vehicle near the Nabulsi crossing west of Gaza.”

Escalating Humanitarian Crisis: Blockade, Winter, and Diseases

The document emphasizes that suffering in Gaza is exacerbated by a blockade policy imposed by the Zionist regime, which during winter has resulted in the deaths of 14 Palestinians, explaining that torrential rains and low temperatures have wreaked havoc among displaced families lacking electricity, fuel, and adequate shelter affecting at least 465 homes living in 260 tents.

Among the recent victims is eight-month-old Rahaf Abu Jazar, along with two other children who succumbed to hypothermia amid the extreme cold.

The already devastated infrastructure is further collapsing, as “at least 15 buildings have collapsed to date, with more expected to fall.” The underlying reason, according to the report, is that “Israel continues to block the passage of 6,500 trucks carrying essential humanitarian and winter supplies to Gaza, according to Oxfam.”

In fact, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that “nearly 850,000 Palestinians are at risk of flooding,” while the WHO reports a sudden increase in acute respiratory infections. UNRWA, on the other hand, is adamant that “this suffering could be alleviated through unimpeded humanitarian aid,” which should include medical support and adequate shelter.

Accelerated Colonization in the West Bank

The report notes that the Commission for Colonization and Resistance to the Wall condemned the Israeli Cabinet’s approval to establish and legalize 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, labeling it a “dangerous escalation” in the Israeli colonial settlement project.

Minister Moayyad Shaaban, cited in the document, warns that this is part of a broader policy led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his finance minister Bezalel Smotrich aimed at legalizing Israeli colonial installations (settlements), expanding Israeli control, and fragmenting Palestinian territory, thus undermining the prospects for a contiguous Palestinian state.

Shaaban warned that these decisions violate international law and UN resolutions, particularly UN Security Council Resolution 2334, urging the UN and High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions to take urgent action to stop the expansion of Israeli settlements.

He also reaffirmed the resilience of the Palestinian people against attempts to erase their presence and rights.

Since October 2023, at least 1,092 Palestinians have died and nearly 11,000 have been injured in attacks by the army and illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank, while more than 21,000 people have been detained.

According to the report, since October 2023, Israeli aggression in the West Bank has resulted in 1,095 martyrs, including 228 children killed, and 10,760 injured due to Israeli army attacks.

In addition, 11,100 people remain detained in Israeli prisons, including 350 children, 49 women, and 3,368 under administrative detention (without charges or trial).

This is compounded by mass raids where around 100 people have been detained in a single day.

Environmental Degradation

The document also reveals an environmentally devastating practice, denouncing that “the West Bank is a massive dumping ground for toxic Israeli industrial waste.”

Israeli settlements transfer hazardous materials to Area C to evade environmental regulations, contaminating soil, water, and air.

“The documented violations represent only a small part (…) due to the difficulty of accessing the landfills and limited monitoring capabilities,” stated Bahjat Jabarin of the Palestinian Environmental Quality Authority.

On Monday, Israeli forces uprooted around 400 olive trees after initiating land leveling operations on vast tracts of Palestinian citizens’ land in the village of Budrus, west of Ramallah, affecting nearly 35,000 m² of farmland adjacent to the separation wall.

Abdel Nasser Marar, head of the Budrus Village Council, told WAFA that Israeli bulldozers broke into the western side of the village along the wall and began extensive demolition of land planted with century-old olive trees, under heavy protection from occupation forces that prevented landowners from accessing their properties or protesting what was happening.

Attacks on the Press

The report highlights the lethal targeting of journalists as part of the aggression and violence exercised by Israel.

According to Reporters Without Borders, “Israel is responsible for 43% of journalist deaths worldwide” in 2025 and “more than 250 Palestinian journalists have been killed by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) since October 2023.”

Recent Events and Urgent Calls

The report includes recent updates confirming that in Gaza, over 9,000 children were treated for acute malnutrition in October.

“Although the immediate threat of famine has decreased for most of the 2.2 million Palestinians in Gaza following the ceasefire announcement on October 10, the UN and other aid agencies report that Israeli restrictions on their humanitarian shipments persist, which they say are far below the needs of a weakened and traumatized population after two years of war, homelessness, and living in flimsy shelters,” the document states.

The UN warned that children are the most exposed to unexploded ordnance in Gaza. In this regard, Julius Van der Walt, head of the Mine Action Program in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, stated in a press release that the remnants of war and unexploded ordnance in Gaza pose a threat to the recovery of normal life for civilians, emphasizing that children are the most at risk.

Amid the genocide, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) warned that as part of the ongoing deterioration of humanitarian conditions for displaced persons in the Gaza Strip, the enclave will face heavy rains, flooding, and strong winds this week that are expected to destroy thousands of deteriorating tents housing over a million displaced individuals.

“Warnings issued by competent authorities highlight the immense risks to the lives of thousands of displaced persons, especially those living in fragile tents and lacking basic infrastructure, including the al-Mawasi area in western Khan Younis, which has become the largest shelter for displaced persons in the entire Strip,” the report notes.

“These events occur at a time when safe living conditions are completely inaccessible, prompting the PCHR to make an urgent call to the international community, UN agencies, and humanitarian organizations to intervene immediately and effectively to prevent an imminent humanitarian catastrophe and ensure the right of displaced persons to safe and dignified housing, an inalienable and fundamental right under all circumstances,” it emphasized.

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) has issued an “urgent call to the international community” to avert an “imminent humanitarian catastrophe” in the face of winter storms.

Meanwhile, EU Commissioner Hadja Lahbib demanded that aid “flood into Gaza, not drip by drip,” describing the Israeli restrictions as “a huge administrative burden.”

Israel Replaces UN Flag at UNRWA Headquarters

In an act of usurpation, the forces of the Zionist regime stormed the UNRWA headquarters in Sheikh Jarrah, in occupied Jerusalem. They forcibly entered the complex, confiscated equipment, and replaced the UN flag with the flag of Israel.

The UNRWA Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, stated that “allowing this represents a new challenge to international law, setting a dangerous precedent.”

Bethlehem Lights Up Christmas Tree Again After 2 Years of Genocide in Gaza

In a symbol of resistance, Bethlehem has once again illuminated its Christmas Tree after two years of genocide in Gaza.

“Despite the darkness and aggression, the Palestinian people held their traditional ceremony and lit the tree, primarily praying for peace,” the report highlighted.

You can access the report from the Embassy of Palestine in Chile here.