LONDON: Israel’s war in Gaza has led to a drop in average life expectancy of 35 years in the Palestinian enclave, a new study has found.
The Lancet journal published data suggesting that life expectancy had dropped to 40.5 years by September 2024, having been 75.5 years before Israel began its invasion in October 2023.
Researchers for the study at the University of Pennsylvania said the true average age could be lower as only data from those killed by war injuries was considered rather than overall casualty figures, which were likely exacerbated by the collapse of Gaza’s health system.
Casualty lists from Gaza’s health authorities were cross-referenced with a UN refugee list and census data to arrive at the findings.
“Our life expectancy results show that the … war in the Gaza Strip generated a life expectancy loss of more than 30 years during the first 12 months of the war, nearly halving pre-war levels,” the study’s authors said.
Despite the logistical issues caused by the war, the UN considers the Gaza health data — which claims that 47,000 have died — accurate.
The UN Human Rights Office said it verified the identities of 8,119 people killed from November 2023 to April 2024.
It added that 44 percent were children and 26 percent were women, with the largest age bracket 5-9-year-olds, and that around 80 percent of people were killed in residential buildings.
“Our case-by-case evaluation of the Gaza Health Ministry list of killed individuals did not detect any substantial errors or signs of intentional inflation,” the researchers said.
“It is highly likely that our central estimates underestimate true losses, because they do not include individuals reported missing or under the rubble.
“Even more importantly, our results do not include the indirect effects of the war on mortality.”
A separate Lancet study published earlier this month suggests that the 47,000-casualty figure may be an underestimate by around 40 percent.
