Data Confirms One of the Largest Civilian Catastrophes in Modern History

A newly published dataset on Harvard University’s Dataverse platform reveals a catastrophic estimate of the scale of human loss in Gaza. The report, authored by Professor Yaakov Garb of Ben-Gurion University, estimates that 377,000 Palestinians are missing or presumed dead since the start of the Israeli military assault in October 2023. This represents roughly 17% of Gaza’s pre-war population, an unprecedented demographic collapse.

The analysis appears in the Harvard-hosted dataset titled “The Israeli/American/GHF 'aid distribution' compounds in Gaza: Dataset and initial analysis of location, context, and internal structure”, offering a stark data-driven view of the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Gaza.

■ Key Findings

• Total Missing or Dead:
  An estimated 377,000 Palestinians, nearly half of whom are children, are unaccounted for — either killed, buried under rubble, or otherwise missing.
• Massive Depopulation:
  • Gaza City and Northern Gaza are nearly emptied of their populations.
  • Mawasi (declared a “safe zone”) now houses over 500,000 displaced people, overwhelming its resources.
  • Central Gaza Strip has absorbed around 350,000 displaced persons.
• Urban Destruction:
  Satellite imagery confirms widespread leveling of entire neighborhoods, reducing homes, schools, mosques, and hospitals to rubble.
• Children Severely Impacted:
  Approximately 50% of those missing are children, underscoring the disproportionate toll on Gaza’s youngest residents.
• Infrastructure Collapse:
  The obliteration of hospitals, water systems, roads, and sanitation facilities has contributed not only to deaths from airstrikes but also from disease, hunger, and lack of medical care.

■ Methodology

• The report employs satellite imagery analysis, population mapping, and displacement modeling, comparing pre-war and current population distributions.
• It integrates data from UN agencies, humanitarian field reports, evacuation logs, and geospatial analysis.
• The findings represent conservative estimates, acknowledging that actual figures could be higher due to inaccessible zones and undocumented casualties.

■ A Historic Humanitarian Catastrophe

The Harvard-hosted dataset provides one of the most comprehensive analyses of the demographic and humanitarian devastation in Gaza. With entire cities depopulated, hundreds of thousands of civilians missing or dead, and children making up a staggering portion of the casualties, the report paints a grim but necessary picture of the war’s impact.

( Source: 21st Century Wire – The Hidden Numbers Behind Gaza’s Real Death Toll and Harvard Dataverse – Gaza Aid Distribution Compounds Dataset )