Gaza's population has fallen by 6% since conflict began

(CLO) Gaza's population has decreased by 6% since the war with Israel began nearly 15 months ago, with about 100,000 Palestinians leaving the enclave and more than 55,000 reported dead, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS).

Based on data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health, PCBS said some 45,500 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, have been killed since the conflict began. In addition, 11,000 people remain missing.

The PCBS also reported that Gaza's population has fallen by about 160,000 during the war, to 2.1 million. Of those, children under 18 account for more than one million, or 47 percent of the total population.

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The report accused Israel of carrying out a “brutal invasion targeting people, buildings and vital infrastructure”. Whole families were wiped from civil records, causing catastrophic human and material losses.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has rejected the PCBS figures, calling them “fabricated, exaggerated and manipulated” in an attempt to smear Israel. However, Israel is facing accusations of genocide in Gaza because of the scale of the death and destruction.

In January last year, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the United Nations' highest legal body, ordered Israel to stop committing genocide against Palestinians. Pope Francis also asked the international community to consider whether Israel's Gaza campaign constitutes genocide.

PCBS also warned that about 22% of Gaza's population is facing severe food insecurity, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) criteria. Of these, about 3,500 children are at risk of death due to malnutrition and food insecurity.

Ngoc Anh (according to Reuters, Euronews, AJ)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/dan-so-gaza-giam-6-ke-tu-khi-xung-dot-bat-dau-post328653.html