October 7, two years on: Israel's genocide by the numbers
On October 7, 2023, Hamas, the governing authority in the Gaza Strip along with other Palestinian militant factions, launched thousands of rockets into Israel and attacked several southern Israeli communities.
The assault left nearly 1,200 people dead and around 250 taken hostage. Following the attack, several Israeli officials made public statements that have been cited as evidence of genocidal intent in the ongoing military campaign in Gaza.
Former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on October 9, 2023, infamously said: “We are fighting human animals, and we are acting accordingly… There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed.”
A member of the Knesset, Boaz Bismuth echoes similar sentiments on October 16, 2023.
“There is no place for any humanitarian gestures, we must erase the memory of Amalek (the enemy of the nation of the Israelites),” he said.
Deaths and injuries
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, corroborated by data from the United Nations and humanitarian organisations:
More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023.
Over 70% of the dead are women and children, including at least 17,921 minors.
In the West Bank, at least 2,787 Palestinians were injured between January 1 and September 1 2025, representing a 39% increase in overall injuries compared with the same period in 2024
More than 90,000 others have been injured, many with life-altering disabilities caused by burns, amputations, or shrapnel wounds.
At least 8,000 people remain missing, believed to be trapped under rubble from destroyed buildings.
The child mortality rate
Two years into the war, and it affects mostly the people that we as society are supposed to protect: children.
According to UN, a child is killed every 52 minutes in Gaza, with at least 50,000 children reported killed or injured since October 2023.
As of early August 2025, children accounted for nearly a third (31% or 18,430) of the recorded Palestinian fatalities in Gaza.
Beyond direct violence, children are disproportionately affected by the accelerating malnutrition crisis. The psychological impact is staggering, with nearly 1.2 million children in Gaza requiring mental health and psychosocial support. In the West Bank, child protection risks are sharply rising due to violence, detention, and forced displacement.
Displacement
The World Health Organization (WHO) has repeatedly said that the scale of casualties and the deliberate targeting of health facilities suggest ‘a systematic attack on life-saving infrastructure.’
A total of 94% of hospitals have been damaged or destroyed, contributing to a crisis where remaining hospitals are operating at critical overcapacity, such as Al-Shifa and Al-Ahli hospitals running at nearly 300% over capacity.
MoH reports indicate that 52% of essential drugs and 68% of medical disposables are at zero stock. Moreover, the extensive destruction is visible across the Strip, with UNOSAT reporting that approximately 78% of total structures in Gaza are damaged. The lack of functional health facilities means more than 15,800 critical patients in Gaza cannot receive the specialised medical care they urgently need
Nearly 1.9 million of those living in Gaza, 85% of the population, have been displaced, many multiple times. Families move from one bombed-out area to another in search of safety that never comes.
UNRWA estimates that more than 1.4 million people are crammed into makeshift shelters, schools, and tents.
Over 400,000 are believed to be living entirely without shelter, exposed to the elements.
In Rafah and Khan Younis, satellite images show vast tent cities where disease, hunger, and psychological trauma have become part of daily life.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says every child in Gaza is now in need of humanitarian assistance.
Infrastructure and urban destruction
The physical destruction in Gaza is almost without precedent:
More than 70% of Gaza’s buildings have been destroyed or severely damaged.
Nearly 400 schools, 150 health facilities, and all major universities have been struck or rendered inoperable.
Entire neighbourhoods such as Shuja’iyya, Jabalia, Beit Hanoun, and much of Gaza City have been flattened.
Water and sanitation systems have collapsed, leaving more than 95% of water sources unsafe for human consumption.
Starvation and famine
In August, WHO has officially declared that there is famine in Gaza.
As of September 5 2025, 361 Palestinians have died due to malnutrition, including 130 children.
Malnutrition and starvation in Gaza are currently at the highest levels since the conflict began almost two years ago. Over half a million people in the Gaza Strip are facing catastrophic conditions characterised by starvation, destitution, and death.
Furthermore, 54% (which is a staggering 1.07 million people) are in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) food insecurity.
The situation is particularly dire for vulnerable groups; 61% of pregnant women and new mothers screened at Save the Children’s clinics in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah in early August were found to be malnourished. This crisis has been exacerbated by the deliberate blocking and delay of large-scale food and humanitarian aid.
Danger for aid seekers and workers
The blocking of food and aid means that when there is, there is usually a desperate rush. But this does not deter Israeli military.
Seeking food has become a matter of life and death, as starvation forces families to risk their lives. Over 2,339 reported fatalities among Palestinians seeking aid near militarised distribution sites and along convoy routes since May 27 2025.
Analysis of injuries at clinics suggests distinct patterns and anatomical precision in gunshot wounds, strongly indicating the intentional targeting of people within and around distribution sites, rather than accidental fire.
Since October 2023, at least 531 aid workers have been killed and 126 injured in Gaza. Additionally, MoH figures indicate that 1,580 health workers have been killed as of 25 May 2025 .
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