Séamas O'Reilly: The constant atrocity in Gaza beamed into our pockets risks leaving us numb

The horror continues, and the fact that it crowds out our timelines is deplorable. But we cannot and should not look away.

Séamas O'Reilly. Picture: Orfhlaith Whelan

It has been very nearly 100 days since October 7, and the facts on the ground in Israel-Palestine are bleak. Current figures put the death toll in Gaza at “at least” 23,000 Palestinians, or just over 1% of the area’s pre-war population. The majority of the dead — some 70% — are women and children. 9,600 children are confirmed to have died. The number of wounded is believed to be nearly 60,000, with many thousands more unaccounted for.

The scale of destruction is hard to compute. The UN reports that two thirds of all structures in northern Gaza have been destroyed, with the number for the entire strip estimated to be one third. Nearly 85% of Gaza’s population have now been displaced. Tens of thousands now take shelter in refugee camps, at least eight of which have themselves been attacked by Israeli air strikes, killing hundreds.