A report prepared by independent researchers from the United States and Britain warns of the risk of thousands dying in the Gaza Strip over the coming months, even if the Israeli aggression stops now, due to the health crisis caused by the war. According to (AFP), the report states that if the pace of Israeli aggression escalates or if there is a significant outbreak of diseases, 85,570 people could die by early August, among them 68,650 due to severe injuries.
These figures were provided in a report compiled by academics at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health in the United States, which is part of larger estimates regarding the potential additional deaths caused by aggression over the next six months.
The report indicated that even under a ceasefire, 11,580 people could die in the same period if a disease outbreak exacerbates the challenges related to repairing the sewage system and health services in Gaza. The report estimated that approximately 3,250 of these deaths would be due to long-term complications from severe injuries and 8,330 for other reasons.
Researchers predicted that severe injuries would account for the majority of additional deaths in Gaza if fighting continues or escalates, but deaths from malnutrition and infectious diseases like cholera, along with the inability to receive care for conditions like diabetes, will also kill thousands. Hospitals in Gaza have been devastated by the fighting, and more than 85% of the population of 2.3 million is now homeless, amid rising cases of diseases such as diarrhea and malnutrition in overcrowded refugee areas. Official figures released by the Ministry of Health in Gaza show that more than 29,000 individuals have been killed since October 7.
