cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/16060292

Over 85,000 Palestinians in Gaza may be killed over the next six months in the likely event of further escalation by Israel and epidemic outbreaks in the besieged territory, according to a recent prediction made by researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and John Hopkins University. Such grim predictions are not implausible in light of Israel’s plan for a ground invasion of Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, in March, amid the continued widespread destruction of Gaza’s infrastructure, as well as the collapse of humanitarian aid deliveries and operations. Rafah has become one of the most densely populated areas on Earth, with over 1.5 million Palestinians now living in the area bordering Egypt. Talks for prisoner exchanges and a ceasefire are taking place in Paris following three days of hearings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Israel’s occupation. Israel has killed nearly 30,000 Palestinians since its military operation began after October 7 — an average of about 250 Palestinians every day, far more than the daily death toll in any other recent armed conflict, according to Oxfam.