The population of the Gaza Strip is approximately 2.23 million people, 80% of whom are refugees and depend on humanitarian aid. Although the area of the Gaza Strip does not exceed 365 km2 , the Israeli Occupation state completely controls its land borders and the seashore, which is 45 km long. Since 2007, Israel has considered the Strip as a hostile zone and imposed a total siege over its land, sea, and air, violating international law and constituting collective punishment for all residents of the Gaza Strip. Therefore, the Israeli Occupation launched six bloody wars between the years 2008 - 20221 , and a seventh war on October 7th, 2023.
The current war is considered unprecedented in terms of the scale of destructive force and mass killing carried out by the Israeli army against civilians. The death toll as of mid-November reached more than 14,128, including 5,840 children and 3,920 women. The total number of houses damaged by the bombardment reached 230,000 housing units, of which 44,000 housing units were completely destroyed and became uninhabitable. Palestinian sources estimated that the number of people missing under the rubble reached 6,800 people. In addition, the Israeli forces targeted facilities considered “protected” by international law, such as hospitals, schools, and places of worship.
The bombing targeted dozens of medical facilities, including hospitals, clinics, and laboratories, which pushed 25 hospitals out of service, and 55 ambulances being destroyed, leading to the killing of 200 medical staff. It is important to highlight that thousands of civilians have reached these facilities for the purpose of protection and shelter.
In addition to medical facilities, 266 schools where civilians were sheltering were bombed, 66 of which are now out of service. Nevertheless, 83 mosques were completely destroyed, and 3 churches were targeted with the bombing.
Nearly 1.7 million people were forcefully displaced from the northern Gaza Strip the center and south of the strip following the announcements by Israeli forces stating their intentionsto target all buildings in the North. Therefore, the Jerusalem Center for Human Rights sees the importance of highlighting the grave violations of international law in the Gaza Strip. Thus, this factsheet will shed light on the most prominent violations committed by Israel during its aggression against Gaza.