Gaza's population drops by 10% amid Israel's genocidal war

Gaza's population has dropped by 10% as Israel continued its destructive war on the Palestinian enclave, official figures showed on Thursday.

“Palestine, specifically the Gaza Strip, is suffering an unprecedented humanitarian and demographic catastrophe due to the ongoing Israeli aggression since October 2023,” the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said in a statement.

The bureau said that more than 57,000 Palestinians, including 18,000 children and 12,000 women, were killed in Israeli attacks, which constitutes 2.4% of Gaza's total population.

Figures released by the bureau also showed that nearly 100,000 Palestinians have left the enclave since the start of the Israeli war.

Before the outbreak of the Israeli war, Gaza's population stood at 2,226,544 in 2023, as official figures showed.

“Population estimates indicate that the population has declined to approximately 2,129,724, representing a 6% decrease compared to the projection of mid-2024 estimates,” it said.

“Furthermore, the population dropped to 2,114,301, a decrease of 10% from what was estimated for mid-2025.”

The bureau warned of “a fundamental shift” and distortion in the age and population pyramid “due to the deliberate targeting of younger age groups by the Israeli army, particularly children and youth.”

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.