Gaza’s Health Ministry said Monday that, after 31 days of relentless Israeli airstrikes, the death toll in the besieged enclave has surpassed 10,000, a total that includes over 4,000 children.
The US has cast doubt on the accuracy of the numbers coming from Gaza’s Health Ministry, but UN officials have said they believe the real death toll is significantly higher since it doesn’t include people stuck under rubble. The UN said Monday that about 2,260 people, including 1,270 children, are reported missing in the enclave, with most presumed to be trapped under the rubble.
The Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot cited an Israeli security source who put the death toll much higher. The official claimed the Israeli military had killed 20,000 Palestinians in its onslaught, but so far, the number has not been backed up by another source.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday called for an end to the onslaught on Gaza, saying the enclave has become a graveyard for children. “We must act now to find a way out of this brutal, awful, agonizing dead end of destruction,” he said.
“Gaza is becoming a graveyard for children. Hundreds of girls and boys are reportedly being killed or injured every day,” Guterres said.
The massive death toll and slaughter of children have not impacted US support for Israel’s campaign. US officials are paying lip service to the idea of limiting civilian casualties, but the Biden administration refuses to condition military aid.
The Washington Post reported on Sunday that the US is not conditioning military aid or using other leverage it has over Israel because it “would be so politically unpopular in any administration and partly because, aides say, Biden himself has a personal attachment to Israel.”
Source: AntiWar.
