Israeli sources estimate that two civilians in Gaza lose their lives for every Hamas militant killed
About two civilians were killed for every Hamas fighter killed in the Gaza Strip, senior Israeli military officials said Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“I’m not saying it’s good that we have a two-to-one ratio,” an official said in a conversation with the media, adding that the use of human shields was part of Hamas’ “basic strategy.” “It is to be hoped that this proportion will be much lower in the next phase of the war,” he added.
The rising death toll and humanitarian crisis in Gaza has sparked outrage around the world. Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry has estimated that the Israeli campaign after 7 October killed nearly 16,000 people. According to Israel, 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed by Hamas on October 7 and some 240 people were kidnapped and taken to the Palestinian enclave.
When asked about reports that 5,000 Hamas fighters had been killed, one of the senior officials said: “the numbers are about that.”
The United States, Israel’s main ally, has called on it to do more to prevent civilian casualties as operations advance to the south, where many Gazans have sought refuge after fleeing the devastated north.
The military is deploying high-tech mapping software to try to reduce the number of non-combatant deaths, senior Israeli military officials said. The system integrates mobile phone signals, aerial surveillance and artificial intelligence, to maintain a constantly updated map that shows population concentrations throughout the territory.
Each of the map’s 623 cells is color-coded, with green indicating areas where at least 75% of the population has been evacuated. “In the south, as we have almost doubled the population, operations are much more precise,” said the official. “We are taking much more time to make sure our efforts (to warn civilians) are effective.” The map, the result of eight years of research, is made available to commanders and units on the ground, they added.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), however, has questioned the usefulness of such a tool in a region where access to telecommunications and electricity is sporadic. (AFP)
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