Following hundreds of deaths and the evacuation of Palestinians, the UN humanitarian community in Gaza has reduced its estimate of the population to around 2.1 million.
Andrea De Domenico, head of the UN humanitarian office for the Palestinian territories, said on Wednesday that nine months into Israel’s war on Gaza, the UN “for the sole purpose of humanitarian planning” reduced the pre-war population estimate to slightly less than 2.3 million, based on two numbers.
According to the border administration, 110,000 individuals have fled Gaza and entered Egypt since October, with Israel’s war killing nearly 38,000 Palestinians.
Over 87,000 Palestinians have been injured, with another 10,000 believed to be buried under the rubble of bombarded homes.
This does not rule out the possibility that some of those who left will return, De Domenico told a UN press conference from Jerusalem.
“But just for our programming purposes, as the humanitarian community, we estimate that the population present in Gaza comprises about 2.1 million people.”
According to the UN Population Fund, the continuous conflict in Gaza has taken a heavy toll on Palestinians, particularly women and girls, who are exhausted from constant trauma, displacement, and fear.
Since October 2023, almost one million women and girls have been moved several times in quest of safety in Gaza, where security remains elusive.
Severe food, water, housing, and healthcare shortages pose life-threatening dangers to an estimated 155,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women, which is aggravated by an increase in infectious diseases and the possibility of famine.
