The war in Ukraine is a state-to-state conflict, while the one in Gaza shows an asymmetric war in the besieged enclave
ISTANBUL
Two wars on different continents continue to shape the global agenda, with Ukraine and Gaza witnessing immense civilian suffering, destruction, and displacement. These conflicts, however, represent different dynamics — one is a conventional war between states, while the other is an asymmetric conflict within a blockaded territory.
Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine, launched on Feb. 24, 2022, has escalated into Europe’s deadliest conflict in decades, involving missile strikes, drone warfare, and trench battles across hundreds of kilometers of front lines.
In Gaza, since October 2023, a prolonged campaign of airstrikes, artillery fire, and ground incursions has devastated one of the world’s most densely populated and besieged territories, compounding years of blockade and humanitarian hardship.
Casualties compared
According to UN figures, at least 12,456 civilians were killed and 28,382 others injured in Ukraine between February 2022 and December 2024.
Civilian deaths, according to the UN, stood at around 8,000 in 2022 and more than 2,000 in 2023. The number of deaths rose sharply in 2025, with a 59% increase in the first quarter compared to the same period of 2024.
By August 2025, the UN human rights office said, the overall death toll of civilians climbed to 14,116, with 36,481 others injured, meaning that roughly 0.12% of Ukraine’s pre-war population has been either killed or wounded in the conflict.
While most international monitoring focuses on Ukraine, civilians inside Russia have also suffered casualties from cross-border shelling, drone attacks, and explosions near border regions.
Since the start of the war, the UN and independent observers have documented hundreds of civilian deaths and injuries in Russian territory, primarily in the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, and Krasnodar regions, as well as in Russian-annexed Crimea.
Russia does not release consistent nationwide data on casualties, and independent verification is limited due to the ongoing war.
In Gaza, as of Oct. 8, 2024, the Health Ministry reported 41,965 deaths and 97,590 injuries — figures representing approximately 2% and 4.7% of the enclave’s population, respectively.
As of Oct. 6, 2025, the Health Ministry reported nearly 67,200 Palestinians killed and 169,583 others injured, meaning that nearly 5% of Gaza’s population has been killed and over 8% wounded.
Displacement
Displacement has reached alarming levels in both cases.
In Ukraine, the ongoing conflict has forced 6.9 million people to flee abroad, while another 3.7 million remain internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency, or UNHCR.
In Gaza, displacement has reached near-total proportions. UNRWA reported 1.7 million displaced by late 2023, climbing to 1.9 million by early 2024.
Israel’s genocidal war forced families to move multiple times, with some uprooted up to 10 times or more, according to the UN.
The UN said since the breakdown of a brief ceasefire in March 2025, more than 1 million new displacements have been recorded in the Gaza Strip.
Infrastructure damage
Infrastructure damage illustrates both scale and intensity. In Ukraine, the World Bank, UN, and EU’s assessment released in February 2025 calculated $524 billion in recovery needs, with thousands of schools, hospitals, bridges, and homes destroyed or damaged.
According to UNICEF and UN assessments, more than 4,160 educational facilities across Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed since February 2022, while at least 780 health institutions have been hit.
In Gaza, the UN Development Program said 70% of the infrastructure has been destroyed, with entire neighborhoods flattened. Satellite assessments indicated that over half of all housing units are damaged or destroyed, while the electricity supply is functioning at less than 15% of pre-war capacity.
According to UNRWA’s verification report published in August 2025, over 430 schools—around 77% of Gaza’s total—have been damaged or destroyed, many suffering direct hits during ongoing hostilities. The agency warned that continued bombardments have rendered nearly all education in the enclave impossible.
Gaza Health Ministry data on Sept. 29, 2025, suggests that at least 38 Gaza hospitals were destroyed or rendered out of service, 96 healthcare centers were targeted, and 197 ambulances were destroyed or damaged by the Israeli army since the start of the war.
Ismail Al-Thawabta, the director of the Health Ministry Media Office, told Anadolu that Israel carried out 788 direct attacks on health care facilities, staff, and supply chains, and killed 1,670 medical workers while carrying out their humanitarian duty.
Meanwhile, Gaza City’s municipality authorities warned in June 2025 of an “unprecedented water crisis,” noting that 75% of water wells and half of sewage pumps have been destroyed in the city.
Humanitarian crises compared
The humanitarian crises continue to deepen. In Ukraine, the UN projected 12.7 million people in need of assistance in 2025, with frequent power outages, disrupted water supplies, and rising winter hardship.
Food insecurity has reached record levels, with nearly 30% of households facing shortages, and the health system remains under strain from repeated strikes.
In Gaza, UN agencies have confirmed famine conditions in the north.
More than 1.1 million people are at immediate risk of starvation, according to recent UN assessments, and nine of 10 residents are displaced.
Reports indicate that two-thirds of households are experiencing severe hunger, while children are among the most affected by malnutrition and lack of medical care.
In December 2024, Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), warned that “babies are freezing to death due to cold weather and lack of shelter,” while aid convoys remain restricted. Since October 2023, at least 562 aid workers have been killed in Gaza, according to the latest UN figures.
International legal and diplomatic responses
Both conflicts have drawn international legal and diplomatic responses.
In March 2022, the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to condemn Russia’s operation, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Moscow to suspend hostilities.
The General Assembly resolution, passed with strong support, reflected widespread international concern, though some states abstained or opposed, underscoring geopolitical divides.
In the Gaza case, the ICJ issued and later expanded provisional measures in 2024 in the case brought by South Africa, requiring Israel to facilitate humanitarian access.
The measures included demands to improve aid delivery and prevent actions that could amount to violations of the Genocide Convention.
The UN General Assembly has repeatedly debated Gaza, with calls for an immediate ceasefire, and several UN Security Council sessions have seen heated exchanges among major powers over how to respond.
While Ukraine’s leadership operates with broad recognition as a sovereign state seeking allied backing, Gaza’s leadership faces isolation, sanctions, and restrictions, relying heavily on humanitarian diplomacy and regional intermediaries. This contrast underscores the different international behaviors and diplomatic avenues available to both conflicts.
