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The grim statistics: One year on from Operation Protective Edge

July 22, 2015 at 1:18 pm

Last summer’s 51-day Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip resulted in the death of over 2,200 Palestinians and wounded around 11,000 others.

According to the latest statistics of the Palestinian ministry of health, the number of the dead included 302 women and 544 children.

Regarding the wounded, the ministry said that the number included 5,260 males, 2,366 females and 3,258 children.

The ministry also said that around 5,000 Palestinians wounded in the last three Israeli offensives on the Gaza Strip currently suffer from lifelong disabilities, including at least 1,000 who lost one or more limbs in the last offensive.

Gaza’s Paralysis and Artificial Limbs Centre, which is run by the Municipality of Gaza and supported by the Red Cross, offers its services to the people who lost their limbs, but is unable to give help to even half of those in need.

Many people suffering from limb loss are obliged to travel abroad for treatment, inevitably with the closure of the crossings, which have been closed since 2006 closed due to the Israeli-Egyptian siege on the Strip.

During the offensive, Israeli forces targeted more than 20 hospitals, clinics and healthcare centres.

The Palestinian ministry of agriculture said that the losses in the agricultural sector were estimated at $550m as a result of the Israeli offensive.

Awqaf ministry said that the Israeli forces targeted 214 mosques along the Strip. It said that 64 of these were completely destroyed and 150 were partially destroyed.

Gaza’s Fishermen Syndicate also said that around 4,000 fishermen, feeding around 50,000 people, were affected, with losses estimated at $6m.

Regarding unemployment, a statement issued by the Palestinian Labourer Unions to mark the first anniversary of the offensive said that 200,000 workers are currently unemployed, meaning that an estimated 900,000 people have no source of food or income.

Images by MEMO photographer Mohammad Asad.