The Population of Gaza and the West Bank Decreased by 6% in 2024
Palestinian child killed by Israeli occupation forces, 2024. X/ @BenzBe68064
December 31, 2024 Hour: 8:24 am
The offensive of the Israeli occupation forces had devastating effects since October 2023
On Tuesday, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics informed that the Palestinian population decreased by 6% in 2024, a year marked by intense Israeli offensives against Gaza and the West Bank.
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The year is expected to close with 5.5 million Palestinians within the boundaries of what should be the future Palestinian State, with 3.4 million living in the West Bank and 2.1 million in the Gaza Strip. The population in the enclave has decreased by 160,000 this year due to killings or displacement.
Over one million people in Gaza are minors, representing 47% of its population. The Bureau of Statistics estimates that there are nearly 15 million Palestinians worldwide, of which 7.6 million live in the diaspora—individuals and their descendants who emigrated from Palestine following the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 and are not allowed to return. Of these, 6.4 million reside in Arab countries.
Israeli airstrikes, which continue to hit the Palestinian enclave, have claimed the lives of at least 45,540 Gazans and have forced approximately 100,000 Palestinians to flee Gaza since the offensive began in October 2023, according to the latest figures updated by the Gaza-based Health Ministry.
Among the fatalities in Gaza, at least 17,818 are children, and more than 12,287 are women, collectively accounting for 70% of the total death toll, according to official figures also used by UN agencies.
Currently, there are 60,000 pregnant women in Gaza, and 13,649 are expected to give birth next month amid ongoing warfare and a healthcare system in Gaza on the brink of total collapse.
“Additionally, 155,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women face significant challenges in accessing and receiving prenatal and postnatal healthcare services,” the Palestinian statistics office pointed out.
The deceased also include more than 200 journalists, 756 educational personnel, and over 1,000 healthcare workers who have lost their lives due to the Israeli offensive. More than 495,000 people (22% of the population) face catastrophic levels of food insecurity.
In the West Bank, Israeli occupation forces launched one of their largest offensives in September in Jenin, later expanding to Tubas and Tulkarem, resulting in at least 20 deaths and extensive destruction.
While Israeli raids in these occupied Palestinian territories were already frequent, they have intensified since October 2023, leaving 6,450 injured in the West Bank and resulting in at least 835 Palestinian deaths, including 171 minors.
In 2024, nearly 500 Palestinians in refugee camps have died in the territory due to Israeli fire, including at least 75 minors, according to figures from the Palestinian Authority’s Health Ministry.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE
