A new report by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) has laid bare the catastrophic human toll of 534 days of Israeli aggression on Gaza, offering a harrowing snapshot of a population pushed to the brink of collapse.

The report details the unimaginable suffering of children, with 274 newborns killed under bombardment and 876 children dying before their first birthday. Seventeen children perished from cold in displacement camps, while 52 succumbed to hunger and malnutrition. Over 11,200 people remain missing, 70% of whom are children and women, their fates still unknown beneath the rubble.

The scale of orphanhood is staggering, with 39,000 children losing at least one parent, including 17,000 who have lost both. At least 1,055 children have been detained since the war began, with more than 350 still held captive. Meanwhile, the number of children left with permanent disabilities is rising daily, as 15 young lives are shattered every day by injuries, amputations, and severe trauma.

The report also highlights a deepening humanitarian catastrophe: 1.95 million people face severe food insecurity, with tens of thousands of children suffering from acute malnutrition. The health crisis among newborns is growing, with 7,700 infants at risk of death due to the collapse of healthcare services, and vaccination rates plummeting.

Education, too, lies in ruins. Hundreds of schools have been destroyed or severely damaged, leaving 700,000 students deprived of learning, while thousands of students and teachers have been killed or injured. Virtual learning has become an impossible dream for many, as electricity and internet access vanish.

The numbers speak of a generation scarred beyond measure, confronting famine, displacement, and grief under a relentless siege. For Palestinians in Gaza, these figures are not mere statistics but a brutal reality endured every day.