Ramallah - Ma'an - The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said that the number of Palestinians around the world reached 14.8 million people by mid-2024. The statistics stated in a press release on the occasion of World Population Day that the number of Palestinians in the State of Palestine reached about 5.61 million, including 2.85 million males and 2.76 million females, 1.8 million in the 1948 territories, and about 7.4 million in the diaspora, including 6.3 million in Arab countries. The demographic reality in the Gaza Strip on the eve of the occupation aggression: Data indicate that on the eve of the occupation's aggression on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, about 2.2 million Palestinians resided in the Strip on an area of ??365 km2, representing about 41% of the population of the State of Palestine, most of whom are refugees (66% of whom are refugees) who were displaced from their villages and cities as a result of the 1948 war. The population of the Strip is distributed across 5 Palestinian governorates that make up the Gaza Strip. According to estimates for mid-2023, about 1.2 Palestinians reside in the governorates of North Gaza (Jabalia) and Gaza (known as North Gaza Valley), while the remaining million reside in the governorates of Khan Yunis, Deir al-Balah, and Rafah. The age structure of the population in the Gaza Strip indicates that it is a very young society, as the percentage of individuals under the age of 18 is about 47% of the population, and the percentage of individuals under the age of 30 is about 68%, while the percentage of the elderly 65 years and older is only about 3%. Accordingly, the median age of the population of the Strip (the age that divides the ages of the population into two equal halves) is about 19.5 years, meaning that half of the population is under this age and the other half is over it. More than 39 thousand martyrs, including 16 thousand children and 11 thousand women Since the beginning of the aggression, about 39 thousand Palestinians have been martyred, representing 1.7% of the total population of the Strip, including about 16 thousand children and about 11 thousand women, in addition to about 10 thousand missing persons. The number of martyrs as a result of the famine reached 34, and the data indicated the martyrdom of 500 medical personnel, in addition to the arrest of 310 medical personnel, and there are about 3,500 children at risk of death due to malnutrition and lack of food. While the number of wounded reached about 88 thousand wounded, 70% of whom were women and children, while the number of martyrs in the West Bank reached 570 martyrs. 10,000 cancer patients are at risk of death and need treatment, and 3,000 patients with various diseases need treatment abroad. Infectious diseases have also spread among the displaced, infecting 1,660,942, of whom 71,338 were infected with viral hepatitis. In addition, 33 hospitals have been put out of service, along with 64 health centers and 161 health institutions, and 131 ambulances have been destroyed. On the other hand, the occupation completely destroyed 150,000 housing units, 80,000 housing units became uninhabitable, 200,000 housing units were partially destroyed, 195 government headquarters were destroyed, in addition to the destruction of 206 archaeological and heritage sites. Based on this data, the estimated growth rate in the sector for the year 2023 will decrease from about 2.7% according to the agency's estimates for the year 2023 to about 1% only during the year 2024, specifically after the middle of the year, as birth and childbearing rates will decrease very significantly as a result of couples' tendency not to have children due to the prevailing conditions and fear for the health of mothers and children and the decrease in the number of new marriages during the Israeli occupation aggression to very low levels. The age and gender structure of the population is also expected to be directly affected as a result of the Israeli army's deliberate targeting of specific population groups such as children and youth, which will lead to a distortion in the shape of the population pyramid, especially at its base. It is worth noting that there is a medium and long-term impact expected to affect the age structure of the population, represented by a decrease in the number of births in the coming years, which represent the basic base of the population pyramid, as a result of the martyrdom and targeting of the age group that gives birth or is expected to contribute to giving birth to children in the coming years. More than 8 thousand student martyrs The number of martyrs among students enrolled in schools in Palestine reached 8,294 martyrs, including more than 8,227 martyrs in the Gaza Strip and 67 martyrs in the West Bank. The number of injured students enrolled in schools in Palestine reached 13,582, including 13,200 injured in the Gaza Strip and 382 injured in the West Bank. As for the arrested students enrolled in schools, 178 students were arrested, all from the West Bank. While the number of martyrs since th e beginning of the occupation aggression from students enrolled in higher education institutions in Palestine has reached 647 students, 613 students in the Gaza Strip and 34 students in the West Bank. The number of wounded reached 1,312, including 1,189 in the Gaza Strip and 123 in the West Bank. In addition, more than 179 male and female students enrolled in universities in the West Bank were arrested. 497 martyrs working in schools and higher education institutions The number of martyrs among teachers and administrators in schools in Palestine reached 497 martyrs, including 391 who were martyred during the raids on the Gaza Strip, and one martyr in the West Bank. While 105 male and female workers working in higher education institutions in the Gaza Strip were killed as a result of the ongoing airstrikes. The number of teachers and administrators injured in schools in Palestine reached 3,426, including 3,415 in the Gaza Strip and 11 injured in the West Bank. More than 111 teachers and administrators were arrested in schools in the West Bank. 708 thousand students in Gaza were deprived of their right to school and university education As a natural reaction to the continuous bombardment and violent raids on the Gaza Strip and the death toll of students and teachers and the destruction of the infrastructure of a large number of schools and universities, 93 schools and universities were completely destroyed and 330 schools and universities were partially destroyed, with all schools and universities in the Gaza Strip closed since the beginning of the Israeli occupation aggression and depriving about 620 thousand male and female students of their right to school education. About 88 thousand male and female students were also deprived of going to their universities, while about 39 thousand male and female students were deprived of their right to take the General Secondary Certificate Examination in the Gaza Strip this year. Water crisis and hunger threaten the lives of residents in the Gaza Strip The people of t he Gaza Strip are now lacking the basic necessities of life, such as housing, food and water. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has indicated that at least 70% of the people of the Gaza Strip are at risk of famine, which means that the people of the Gaza Strip are suffering from catastrophic hunger, indicating that the Gaza Strip is now considered one of the most famine-stricken areas in the world. Data indicates that 90% of children aged 6 to 23 months and pregnant women face severe food shortages. The Gaza Strip also suffers from a severe water crisis. Under normal conditions prior to October 7, the per capita water consumption rate in the Strip during 2022 was estimated at about 84.6 liters/person/day. With the outbreak of the Israeli occupation aggression, estimates indicated that the population of the Strip can only access between 3-15 liters/person/day. Source: Maan News Agency