Genocide in Gaza: Israel Claims 71,386 Lives, Including 20,200 Children

Original article: Genocidio en Gaza: Israel deja 71.386 asesinados, incluidos 20.200 niños y niñas

A staggering 71,386 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, according to records from the Palestinian Ministry of Health and the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS). Among the fatalities, 20,200 are children, a figure corroborated by UNICEF, highlighting the indiscriminate nature of the violence.

This genocide adds to more than 10,700 injured and the deaths of over 1,102 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem during the same period, as revealed in a report by the Embassy of the State of Palestine in Chile.

The alarming situation faces a new and dangerous escalation, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates has condemned Israel’s decision to revoke licenses for 37 international non-governmental organizations operating in Gaza and the West Bank, halting their activities within 60 days. This measure, described as «draconian and illegal,» impacts essential humanitarian actors providing health, shelter, water, and protection services.

In an official statement, the ministry asserted that «Israel has no sovereignty over the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, and the State of Palestine welcomes the work of these nationally and internationally recognized institutions.» The office maintains that this decision seeks to exacerbate an already critical humanitarian crisis, increase civilian suffering, and obstruct access to vital aid, flagrant violations of International Humanitarian Law.

A genocide that persists: 421 killings after the ceasefire

Military aggression from Tel Aviv remains active, and 88 days after the last ceasefire was enacted, the IOF has killed an additional 421 Palestinians in Gaza, persistently violating the agreement.

Consequently, Israeli attacks and artillery fire continue in northern Gaza and Khan Younis, claiming civilian lives, including those of children and fishermen. This violence coincides with a severe climate crisis: extreme winter conditions have led to the collapse of 18 already damaged residential buildings, and nearly 90% of the tents for displaced families have been swept away by wind or flooded, leaving thousands homeless. In December alone, 25 Palestinians, including 6 children, died due to severe weather conditions.

«Displaced civilians continue to endure unimaginable hardships in makeshift, flooded shelters, while living conditions deteriorate further amidst heavy rains, strong winds, and severe storms,» the report details.

Systematic Attacks on Infrastructure in Palestine

The report «Effects of Israeli Aggressions in Palestine,» which summarizes data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the State of Palestine, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, UNICEF, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and other UN agencies, outlines a systemic collapse:

-Demographic catastrophe: The population of Gaza has decreased by 10.6% over two years, a loss of 254,000 individuals due to killings, displacement, and deteriorating conditions. The total number of martyrs across Palestine exceeds 72,000.

-Destruction of health and water access: 94% of health facilities in Gaza are damaged; only 18 out of 36 hospitals are functioning partially. 96% of homes suffer from water insecurity, and 95% lack access to safe water, affecting 60,000 pregnant women.

-Annihilation of education: UNICEF warns that 98% of schools in Gaza have been destroyed or severely damaged, leaving 638,000 children without a place in school. Nearly 1,000 teachers and 20,000 students have been killed. Furthermore, 179 governmental schools and 63 university buildings have been completely destroyed.

-Economic paralysis: Gaza’s economy has contracted by 84%. Unemployment has reached a catastrophic 78% in the Strip and 46% nationwide, leaving 650,000 people without jobs.

Israeli Legislation Against Aid: The Cases of UNRWA and NGOs

In a parallel move, the Israeli Knesset has passed specific legislation targeting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The law deprives UNRWA properties of water, electricity, fuel, and communications, and authorizes occupation authorities to confiscate their land in occupied Jerusalem.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned this law, emphasizing that it «constitutes a dangerous violation of international law» and explicitly excludes the Agency from the obligations that Israel has under the United Nations Convention on the Privileges and Immunities.

Additionally, organizations like Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) have denounced Israel’s threat to revoke their registration.

In a statement, they called the measure «a deliberate attempt to block humanitarian aid in Gaza and the West Bank, in clear violation of international law,» and refuted allegations of employing staff linked to military activities. The organization warned that they have been required to provide personal data of their Palestinian staff, posing a serious risk following the killing of 15 of their colleagues.

Repression in the West Bank and Jerusalem: Displacement and Apartheid

The crisis extends beyond Gaza, as in the West Bank, over 12,000 children live under forced displacement due to Israeli military operations in the north, according to UNRWA. Israeli settlers, supported by the Occupation Forces, are now expelling Palestinian families even from «Area B» (Palestinian administrative control), such as in Tarqumiyah, Hebron.

According to the report, aggression against northern occupied West Bank persists with «351 days against Jenin and its refugee camp, 345 days against Tulkarem and its refugee camp, and 332 days against the Nour Al-Shams refugee camp.»

Furthermore, it revealed that Israeli settlers have blocked several agricultural roads east of Nablus. Local sources report that they used bulldozers to obstruct agricultural routes with mounds of earth in the Beit Furik plain, which «are vital for farmers’ access to their arable land,» and these farmers have repeatedly been attacked by Israelis.

In East Jerusalem, the Israeli Supreme Court has upheld eviction orders against two Palestinian families in the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood of Silwan, in favor of the colonial organization Ateret Cohanim. The decisions affect over 116 residents. The Jerusalem Governorate described them as part of a «policy of ethnic cleansing.»

Torture Prison System

A report by the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society documents that at least 32 prisoners died in Israeli custody in 2025, totaling over 100 since October 2023. Almost half of the approximately 11,100 detainees since that date (including over 350 children and 49 women) are held under administrative detention or the law of «illegal combatants,» without charges or trial. The report describes torture, deliberate starvation, denial of medical care, and enforced disappearances as systematic practices.

The combination of massacre, total destruction of societal pillars, humanitarian blockade, colonial expansion, and judicial and prison repression paints a picture of what the State of Palestine, numerous international law experts and human rights organizations have defined as ongoing genocide, with demographic, social, and economic consequences affecting thousands of civilians.