Comparing 9/11 terrorism with Israeli state terrorism
Ali Kazak
26/12/2023
Aftermath of Israel's air strikes in Palestine. Source: ABC News.
In the last ten weeks Israel has destroyed the equivalent of 117 towers, the size of the World Trade Center, killed seven-fold more Palestinians than Americans and wounded five-fold more than Americans wounded in 9/11. This is without considering the difference in population - 2.3 million Palestinians of Gaza and more than 339 million Americans.
American losses on 9/11 were: 2,977 killed, 10,000 wounded, and the destruction of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City (each of the Twin Towers had 110 floors, nearly an acre (4,047 square meters) of floor space at each level), and the Pentagon.
Palestinian losses in the past ten weeks are 20,674 killed, and 54,536 wounded, as of Dec. 16, the destruction of between 102,000 and 129,000 buildings. According to a UN report, more than 234,000 housing units have been damaged and more than 46,000 homes have been completely destroyed, amounting to over 60% of the total housing units.
This is a summary of the devastation caused by the criminal war of genocide Israel has been waging against Gaza since October 7:
- According to the MoH in Gaza, between 7 October and 7:00 on 22 December, at least 70 per cent of those killed were women and children. Over 8,000 are buried under the rubble. On 22 December, the UN Secretary-General stated: “There is no effective protection of civilians in the Gaza Strip” as “intense Israeli bombardment and ground operations continue.”
- Israel has pushed almost 2 million Palestinians out of their homes — the largest displacement in the region since the Nakba, the Palestinian catastrophe of 1948.
- 136 UN staff members have been killed. UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said throughout the UN’s history, they had never witnessed the death of their staff in such large numbers.
- As of Dec. 16, Business Insider researchers estimate that between 102,000 and 129,000 buildings across the enclave have been damaged out of a pre-conflict total of nearly 288,000 structures. At the lower end of their estimate, that's a little under 36% of all buildings, and at the upper end, that figure jumps to nearly 45%.
- 126 government buildings, 90 schools and universities were destroyed, while about 283 schools and universities were partially damaged.
- 103 journalists were killed.
- The impact of the systematic and widespread pattern of destruction of medical infrastructure and forcible population transfer has put 28 hospitals in Gaza out of service, including all hospitals in the north of the Gaza strip. The World Health Organization (WHO) said that many health workers were reportedly detained and less than a third of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially functional.
- 310 medical personnel and 35 civil defense personnel were killed.
- OCHA said 55 ambulances in Gaza had been damaged, with critical shortages reported of drugs and blood products.
- The bombardment of the Cultural Center in Gaza City, its theater, grand hall and the main public library.
- One of the oldest and largest sports complexes in the Palestinian territories which recently got a much-needed overhaul: brand-new basketball, volleyball and tennis courts, and a soccer field, a running track, has been destroyed.
- Among the public and commercial buildings destroyed is the Legislative Council Building.
- A Palestinian government report said 114 mosques have been completely destroyed, and 200 mosques partially, in addition to the destruction of 3 churches.
- Sewage pumping stations and five wastewater treatment plants, electricity stations, banks, bakeries, and the main archaeological excavation site dating back to the Iron Age have been seriously harmed by Israeli bombardments.
- The bombardment of Gaza Zoo with many of its animals killed or starved to death.
