In a sobering report, Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) reveals that civilian casualties from airstrikes, bombs, or artillery reached unprecedented levels in 2023, surpassing any year since the organization began its annual survey in 2010. The three-month war in Gaza significantly contributed to this surge, with 33,846 non-combatants recorded as killed or wounded, marking a 62% increase from the previous year.
AOAV’s comprehensive study, based on English-language reports of explosive violence incidents globally, indicates a staggering rise in casualties. The total exceeds the levels observed during the Syrian civil war and the early western campaign against the Islamic State between 2013 and 2017.
The organization acknowledges that its figures likely underestimate the actual toll, given the challenges of capturing all casualties in media accounts and initial reports typically being underestimates. However, AOAV’s consistent methodology since 2010 allows for a meaningful year-to-year comparison of civilian casualties resulting from explosive violence worldwide.
Iain Overton, AOAV’s Executive Director, underscores the gravity of the situation, stating that 2023 was “the most harmful to civilians from explosive violence” since the monitoring began. Wars in Ukraine and Sudan also contributed significantly to the overall total.
The Israel-Gaza conflict, particularly the Swords of Iron operation by Israel, accounted for 37% of all civilian casualties in 2023. In Gaza alone, AOAV’s data records 9,334 civilians killed and 3,616 injured. The intensity of the conflict in the region has led to numbers surpassing those of entire years of fighting in Ukraine and Sudan.
AOAV’s report reveals that each airstrike in Gaza resulted in an average of 11.1 civilians reported killed, a figure significantly higher than previous estimates and more than four times deadlier than previous Israeli operations.
Globally, the total number of casualties from explosive violence reached 46,500 people, with 73% recorded as civilians. Of these, 15,305 were reported as killed, and the rest, 18,541, were reported as wounded. The urgency to address civilian harm and establish measures to protect vulnerable populations is now more crucial than ever.
