Death Rate During First 300 Days of Genocide in Gaza
Mohammed Habib
Head of Cardiology Department- Alshifa Hospital- Gaza- Palestine
*Corresponding author
Mohammed Habib, MD, PhD, FACC, FESC, Head of Cardiology Department- Alshifa Hospital- Gaza- Palestine
Gaza health system collapsed because of combined by chronic of the Israel’s 17-year illegal blockade since 2007 and acutely after ten months of 7 October 2023 under the destruction of Israel’s military operation. The healthcare system of Gaza was destroyed by Israeli attacks on hospitals and health facilities by blockade of medical supplies from entering Gaza and killing of healthcare workers. In this short article we assess the effect of Israeli military operation of Gaza on total mortality and cardiovascular mortality in Gaza during the first 300 days of Gaza War.
The Gaza Strip is about 365 square kilometers and population estimate of 2 375 259 million people, making it one of the world’s most densely populated regions. Health services in Gaza Four main sectors supervise the provision of health services in Gaza: the government Ministry of Health (MOH) hospitals, UNRWA, NGOs and the private sector. These sectors played a complementary role in improving health services and the health situation in Gaza over the past decade. In the last of 2021 total 35 hospitals with total number of hospital beds 3,026 in Gaza Strip [1].
The most Palestinian population Gaza is young, the percentage of individuals aged (0-14) years constituted 41% in Gaza Strip. The percentage of elderly population aged (65 years and above) at the end of 2022 reached 3% in Gaza Strip) [1].
Mortality and birth in 2022 According to Palestinian ministry of health annual report in 2022 total 5518 death and 56614 birth were recoded [2]. Daily death rate 15 (one death every 92 minutes) and daily birth rate 155 (one birth every 9 minutes).
The prevalence of chronic diseases the percentage of individuals aged 18 years and above with at least one chronic disease has increased slightly over the past decade, reaching about 20% in 2021. The prevalence of chronic diseases increases with age, where data showed that more than two-thirds of the elderly in Palestine in 2021 suffer from at least one chronic disease. This percentage varied greatly between males and females, reaching 66% and 76%, respectively.
According to Ministry of health annual report in 2016: The number of reported deaths in Palestine was 10,940 with 7,177 deaths occurred in West Bank, accounting for 65.5% of the reported deaths in Palestine while in Gaza Strip 3,763 deaths occurred, accounting for 34.4% of the reported in Palestine. Cardiovascular disease was the main leading cause of deaths in Palestine, reported at 30.6% of total deaths in 2016, followed by cancer reported at 14.0%, while stroke was the third leading cause of death reported at 12.8% from the total deaths [3].
In current Israeli military operation of Gaza, the indirect deaths range from three to 15 times the number of direct deaths. The Israeli military during the first 300 days according to Palestinian ministry of health in Gaza killed 39480. That meaning the daily mortality rate 132 person. Applying a conservative estimate of four indirect deaths per one direct death, it is not implausible to estimate that up to 197400 or even more deaths could be attributable to the current genocide in Gaza [4]. This would translate to 8.3 % of the total population in the Gaza Strip. That meaning the death related to cardiovascular causes account 48323 patients, 22108 patients died from different type of cancer and 20213 patients died from stroke.
Another factor increased the risk of mortality were infectious diseases in Gaza during War. Existing outbreaks of diarrheal diseases and hepatitis A, amongst others, are further indicators of the dramatic state of health, affected by the dire water and sanitation conditions affecting everyone in the Gaza Strip.
The war that started on October 7, 2023, has direct killed over 1.7 % of the Gaza’s population. At least 90% of the population is internally displaced. Most of hospitals and cardiac departments are destroyed. In previous trial we suggested that; a marked increase about 65.7% was observed in of the frequency of ST segment elevation acute myocardial infarction admissions at war 2014 in Gaza [5]. Oxfam calculated that the number of average deaths per day for Gaza is higher than any recent major armed conflict including Syria (96.5 deaths per day), Sudan (51.6), Iraq (50.8), Ukraine (43.9) Afghanistan (23.8) and Yemen (15.8) [6].
Conclusion
The number of average deaths per day for Gaza is higher than any recent major armed conflict in the world. The Israeli army killed over 1.7 % of the Gaza’s population. It is not implausible to estimate that up to 197400 or even more deaths could be attributable to the current conflict in Gaza. This would translate to 8.3 % of the total population in the Gaza Strip. The mortality related to cardiac disease is increased duo to destruction of most cardiology words, cardiac surgery and cardiac catheterizations departments and related to dead or injured or migrated most of specialist doctors in Gaza. Increase of infections, lack of food and clean water and to lack of availability of most essential drugs.
References
- Palestinian Ministry of health annual report 2022
- Palestinian Ministry of health annual report 2023
- Palestinian Ministry of health annual report 2017
- Geneva Declaration Secretariat. Global burden of armed violence. Rasha Khatib, Martin McKee, Salim Yusuf. Counting the dead in Gaza: difficult but essential. 2008. 3.
- Mohammed Habib, Majed Alshounat, Mohammed Salama. Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients for Alteplase Alone or Medical Care Alone or Intervention with/without Alteplase in Palestine (AISAMI Palestine). Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine. 2022. 6: 523-528.
- Deaths per day statistics for Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Yemen from: Human Cost of Post-9/11 Wars: Direct War Deaths in Major War Zones, Afghanistan (October 2001 - October 2019); Iraq (March 2003 - October 2019); Syria (September 2014-October 2019); Yemen (October 2002-October 2019); and Other. Neta C. Crawford and Catherine Lutz, November 13, 2019.
