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2/23 Petition to Biden & U.S. Congress

The ‘Crisis in Gaza: Scenario-based Health Impact Projections Report One: 7 February to 6 August 2024’ report was released recently by researchers from John Hopkins University and other experts. The current data is horrifying.

Over the next 6 months, even if there is a permanent ceasefire right now, approximately 6,550 additional Palestinians will die. If there is no ceasefire – 58,260 will die. If there is an escalation in the genocide – 74,290 will die. These numbers assume there are no new epidemics in Gaza.

Infectious diseases are a significant part of all projection scenarios. The time it will take to repair and install the water and sanitation infrastructure, along with building more adequate shelters for refugees, and restoring healthcare services make it impossible to stop excess deaths even if a ceasefire happened this second.

Because of your inaction so far, you’ve condemned, at minimum, 6,550 people to death. That is in addition to the approximately 29,500 – 36,600 Palestinians who have been murdered so far since 10/7. And, this is our best case scenario – your actions so far have made it clear that you will not leverage the U.S.’s ability to force Israel to stop. This genocide has only been accelerating every single day. Because of you, we will likely reach the grim milestone of over 100,000 Palestinians murdered in Gaza this year. These numbers only account for those murdered in Gaza – not the hundreds already murdered in other areas of occupied-Palestine, the hostages Israel has continued to abduct and force into death camps, “military prison”, or those who have been similarly assaulted by Israel in neighboring countries like Lebanon and Yemen.

I demand that you: 

– Call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire

– Call for the immediate end of Israel’s occupation and apartheid and support Palestinians in their fight for freedom and peace

– Hold Israel accountable for their violations of the Genocide Convention and all other international laws by any means necessary

– Secure the immediate release and safety of all Palestinians who have been abducted and held captive by Israel, including those whose indefinite detention began prior to 10/7

– Permanently end all monetary, diplomatic, and military aid given to Israel and enforce Leahy Law

– Reallocate all funds given to Israel and commit additional resources for ongoing humanitarian relief for Palestinians starting with immediately resume funding of UNRWA

SOURCES

The New Arab “Continued Israeli assault could kill more than 80,000 in Gaza by August: report“

John Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health “Crisis in Gaza: Scenario-Based Health Impact Projections“

Gaza Projections “Crisis in Gaza: Scenario-Based Health Impact Projections“

Gaza Projections “Crisis in Gaza: Scenario-based Health Impact Projections Report One: 7 February to 6 August 2024“

Estimated deaths as of 2/13 – 2/23 from multiple sources*

Al Jazeera quotes 29,514 dead as of 2/23/24. Al Jazeera always includes the most up-to-date official death tolls on their Breaking/live updates page. Because the daily live pages are refreshed so frequently for each new day, I can’t link you to a specific date. You can always check the Breaking/live section on their site for the most recent official numbers.

EuroMed Monitor quotes an estimated 36,671 dead shown on an infographic posted on their Instagram (link to post) as of 2/13/24. Their website has past infographics, but does not currently have this newest one included as of writing this blog post. This is not unusual- I believe they first post on social media and then add to the infographic section of their site later. Prior infographics posted on Instagram and then shown on their site have the exact same figures & data.

*Why are multiple sources used for the death count?

Associated Press “Gaza health officials say they lost the ability to count dead as Israeli offensive intensifies“

The situation in Gaza has only gotten worse since the AP published this article on 11/21. The official numbers we are seeing from Gaza’s Ministry of Health are undercounted, and have been since at least 11/21.

EuroMed Monitor is a NGO established in 2011 that advocates for the human rights of all persons across Europe and the MENA region. They have a regional office in the Palestinian Occupied Territories. I believe their estimates are credible which is why I quote them, and will continue to, when referring to the estimated death toll.

My personal opinion is that the true number is even higher than estimated- people are dying from starvation, thirst, infections, and illnesses. Even if the genocide ended this moment, these types of deaths will unfortunately continue for some time. I believe their deaths should be counted. They may not have been shot/bombed/etc. by the Israeli military, but their deaths are directly attributable to the total siege, occupation, and intentional** destruction of civilian, water, waste management, and medical infrastructure by Israel.

**Why are you accusing Israel of intentionally destroying important infrastructure and targeting civilians?

It’s not an accusation. They’ve admitted to it.

The Guardian “‘The Gospel’: how Israel uses AI to select bombing targets in Gaza“

972 Magazine “‘A mass assassination factory’: Inside Israel’s calculated bombing of Gaza“