Action on Armed Violence: ‘Potential shift in military strategy has had devastating consequences for non-combatants’ US secretary of state: ‘Far too many’ Palestinians have died since Israel’s bombardment began on Oct. 7 LONDON: Israel’s aerial bombardment of Gaza since Oct. 7 has caused a far higher civilian fatality rate than in previous aerial campaigns, The Guardian reported on Friday. Figures by Action on Armed Violence show that each recorded fatal Israeli airstrike on Gaza killed 10.1 civilians on average. Israel’s Operation Protective Edge, carried out during the 2014 Gaza war, saw an average airstrike civilian fatality rate of 2.5. During Israeli aerial campaigns in 2012 and 2021, the average airstrike civilian fatality rates were 1.3 and 1.7, respectively. There are mounting fears that the civilian death toll in the Palestinian enclave could be higher than reported. Barbara Leaf, US assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, this week said overall casualty figures in Gaza were “very high,” adding: “It could be that they’re even higher than are being cited.” The higher fatality rate implies a significant change in Israel’s targeting approach, AOAV warned. Iain Overton, its executive director, said: “This isn’t just a statistical concern, it’s a human one. The numbers suggest a potential shift in military strategy that has had devastating consequences for non-combatants.” He said the Gaza figures have raised concerns that Israel is operating in breach of international humanitarian law during its bombardment. AOAV derived the figures, which use the same methodology for every conflict, using media reports of civilian casualties caused by airstrikes. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday said “far too many” Palestinians had died since Israel began its bombardment on Oct. 7. A total of 11,078 Palestinians, including 4,500 children, have been killed since Oct. 7, Gaza’s Health Ministry has said.