Gaza 'uninhabitable', impossible on-site research

Last November, the UN special rapporteur on housing, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, estimated that “45% of houses in the Gaza Strip were destroyed or damaged by the Israeli attack.”

Last December, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borel, described “apocalyptic” situation in Gaza. According to him, the level of destruction was equal to or even higher than that of Germany during World War II.

“Everything is destroyed”

As months passed, shelling continued from north to south of the Gaza Strip. There are fewer and fewer observers on the ground, making it difficult to understand the situation. “Many journalists have died and others have left. We have less and less imagery and data to analyze shootings and explosions.“,” complains Emily Tripp, director of Airwars. This NGO investigates civilian casualties of armed conflicts.

“When the people who document and testify to the damage caused by each attack are killed, The possibility of summing up and identifying the authors is also excluded.“, Add.

Airwars typically collects all possible images and information about each incident detected. “There are also many partner organizations who can no longer communicate with their teams on the ground. So they can’t help us connect the dots, and that makes the analysis very difficult.”

However, Emily Tripp offers a comparison. “After the Battle of Raqqa [la principal ciudad siria reconquistada a la organización Estado Islámico en 2017], The UN declared 80% of the city uninhabitable. The air campaign led by the United States and its allies lasted six months. “We already know that Israeli forces used more munitions, and with greater frequency and inaccuracy, in three months in Gaza than the international coalition did in six months in Raqqa.”

Photo: Reuters

The Hamas Health Ministry has already counted more than 26,700 killed and 65,000 wounded since the start of the military operation. “Besides the human impact, we are witnessing the destruction of an entire societyEmily Tripp speaking. “Schools, water pipes, mosques… everything is destroyed. “Everything is destroyed,” he condemns.

All experts come to the same conclusion. In their careers, they had never seen war of such intensity. “All key infrastructure was damaged, making life extremely difficult, if not impossible, in parts of Gaza,” explains Christina Wille, director of Insecurity Insight. This Switzerland-based association analyzes the impact of violence on civilians in terms of food security, health and education. “In some areas, even if you find food, It won’t be possible to cook it because there is no water.“, he emphasizes.

Thousands of wounded, no more hospitals

Hospital operations are similarly affected by shortages of water, fuel, electricity and, in this case, medicine. “How can you work without equipment, without light? Without electricity there is no incubator for premature babies. If a doctor cannot wash his hands, there are serious health problems. This has cascading consequences,” says Christina Wille.

Hospitals were also damaged by the explosions. “Some directly,” complains Christina Wille, “others indirectly, through explosions in the surrounding area.” Last week, the World Health Organization announced it had mounted a high-risk mission to resupply Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza. The hospital, which used to be the main hospital in Gaza City, no longer has maternity or pediatric services. The hospital’s main oxygen generator was destroyed.

Only seven of 24 hospitals in northern Gaza remain open, according to WHO. They only partially work. The same can be said for the southern Gaza Strip, where only seven of 12 hospitals are partially functioning, according to the UN agency. “Since the Nasser Hospital and the European Hospital of Gaza are out of order, There is virtually no healthcare system left in Gaza“Guillemette Thomas, medical coordinator for Doctors Without Borders in Palestine.

Difficulty in collecting evidence

If accurate and verified figures are difficult to obtain, then the official designation of the tortfeasor is also difficult to prove without being on the ground to collect evidence. “When you can prove that the damage was caused by an airstrike, you can be sure that it was an Israeli attack,” explains Christina Wille, although she admits that she cannot always prove this at present. “Most of the artillery fire is also Israeli, since Hamas does not have this type of artillery,” he adds.

Photo: Reuters

The researcher acknowledges that it is possible that some Hamas actions are not condemned by the population in the same way. Israel has also accused the group that controls the Gaza Strip of using the hospitals’ supposed security to hide weapons or tunnel entrances. “Once again, it is impossible to know what is propaganda and what is truth, since international observers are not authorized to assess the terrain,” he says.

The International Court of Justice recalled late last week that “the military operation carried out by Israel since 7 October 2023 has resulted, among other things, in the deaths and injuries of tens of thousands of people, as well as in the destruction of homes, schools, medical facilities and other vital infrastructure, and massive population movements.” Israel now has one month to inform the court of the request for preventive measures to prevent genocide.

“But are Israeli forces capable of analyzing the damage caused by each attack?” asks Emily Tripp. “This is a procedure usually carried out by armies after every attack in accordance with international law. It will therefore be important for the Israelis to demonstrate that they are fully aware of the losses caused by their actions,” he concludes.

Source: Aristegui Noticias

Mary

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