SOME CASUALTY FIGURES FROM SOME CONFLICTS Sunday 22nd February 2026
SOME CASUALTY FIGURES FROM SOME CONFLICTS
Sunday 22nd February 2026
THE UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS (USSR)
The Soviet Union suffered approximately 27 million total deaths (military and civilian) during World War II, according to post-Soviet Russian estimates and scholarly consensus, making it the highest casualty toll of any nation.
VIETNAM WAR
Estimates of total Vietnamese deaths (military and civilian) during the Vietnam War (1955–1975) generally range between 2 million and 4 million. The Vietnamese government officially reported 1.1 million PAVN/VC fighters killed and 2 million civilians, while other studies suggest total war-related deaths could exceed 3 million.
Key Breakdown of Vietnamese Casualties (1955–1975):
- North Vietnamese/Viet Cong (PAVN/VC): Approximately 1.1 million soldiers died.
- South Vietnamese (ARVN): Estimates for military deaths range between 200,000 and 300,000.
- Civilians: An estimated 2 million civilians died across North and South Vietnam.
Contextual Data:
- Total Casualties: Studies often include deaths from 1955 to 1975, with some broader analyses extending to 1984, pushing total deaths over 3 million.
- Impact: The conflict resulted in millions of civilians killed by ground combat, aerial bombing, and war-related causes.
- Foreign Troops: In addition to Vietnamese deaths, over 58,000 U.S. military personnel died.
CAMBODIA
The Cambodian genocide (1975–1979) resulted in an estimated 1.2 to 2.8 million deaths, representing 15–36% of the country's population, as part of the Khmer Rouge's systematic killings. This period followed the Cambodian Civil War (1967–1975), with earlier conflicts causing further immense loss of life.
Key Casualty Data:
- Cambodian Genocide (1975–1979): 1.2 to 2.8 million deaths due to execution, starvation, overwork, and disease.
- Cambodian Civil War (1967–1975): Hundreds of peasants were killed in the initial stages of the conflict.
- Recent Border Clashes: In 2025, a border crisis with Thailand resulted in dozens of military and civilian casualties on both sides.
MYANMAR (BURMA)
Estimates for the death toll of the Rohingya genocide, primarily following the August 2017 Myanmar military crackdown, vary, with a widely cited 2018 Harvard University study estimating over 24,000 Rohingya deaths. Other reports, such as from the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, suggested even higher figures based on reported missing individuals.
- Death Toll: Approximately 24,000+ killed.
- Sexual Violence: Over 18,000 women and girls raped.
- Displacement: Over 1.5 million have fled, primarily to Bangladesh.
- Timeframe: The majority of these deaths occurred from August 2017 onwards.
These figures are based on assessments by international organizations and researchers, though the exact, final toll remains difficult to establish with certainty due to the ongoing nature of the conflict and restricted access to the region.
As of early 2026, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present) has caused an estimated 89,000 to over 90,000 total deaths, including combatants and civilians. The conflict has displaced over 3 million people, with more than 6,000 civilians specifically documented as killed by the military junta as of late 2024.
Key details regarding casualties in the Myanmar civil war:
- Total Fatalities: Data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) indicated nearly 93,000 total deaths from 1 February 2021 to 23 January 2026.
- Civilian Deaths: The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) reported that at least 6,231 civilians were killed by the military over the four years following the February 2021 coup.
- Displacement: Over 3.5 million people have been internally displaced, with more than 149,000 fleeing as refugees.
- Targeting of Civilians: Violence has escalated, with 98% of civilian casualties and 93% of incidents in 2025 occurring in populated areas.
- Destruction: Over 83,700 civilian properties were estimated to be burnt or destroyed by April 2024.
GAZA GENOCIDE
Humanitarian Situation Update #357 | Gaza Strip
Key Highlights
- Airstrikes, shelling and gunfire continue across Gaza, causing casualties and exposing civilians, including aid workers and medical teams, to deadly risks.
- Rafah Crossing reopened for limited movement of people for the first time in nearly 11 months, enabling further medical evacuations and returns to Gaza, amid reports of ill-treatment of returnees during transit.
- Shelter conditions remain dire for most displaced people, pushing some to stay in unsafe locations or search rubble for essentials, while children remain exposed to explosive ordnance and older people face heightened health risks and challenges accessing care and assistance.
- Access to water and sanitation facilities has improved since the ceasefire agreement, but water quality remains unsafe, contributing to rising cases of diarrhoea and hepatitis A, particularly among children.
- Winter weather and transit delays have led to significant spoilage of food commodities before and during entry into Gaza, while partners work to safely dispose of damaged goods amid constrained storage and landfill capacity in the Strip.
Context Overview
- Airstrikes, shelling and gunfire continue to be reported across the Gaza Strip, resulting in casualties. The Israeli military remains deployed in over 50 per cent of the Gaza Strip north, west and south of the “Yellow Line,” where access to humanitarian facilities and assets, public infrastructure, and agricultural land is either restricted or prohibited. Access for Palestinians to the sea remains prohibited. Detonations of residential buildings and bulldozing activities continue to be reported, including near and east of the “Yellow Line.”
- Over the past two weeks, strikes were reported on both sides of the “Yellow Line,” including in densely populated areas, heightening risks to civilians. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported that its teams across Gaza treated seven patients, including two children, injured in incidents attributed to Israeli attacks between 31 January and 2 February. On 5 February, Israeli forces reportedly demolished an UNRWA school that was the last remaining structure within a compound of six schools. Highlighting the extremely precarious situation for many children in Gaza, UNICEF noted that children continue to be affected by airstrikes and the disruption of essential services, with 37 children reported killed since the beginning of the year.
- According to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, between 28 January and 11 February 2026, 109 Palestinians were killed, 252 were injured, and 10 bodies were recovered from under the rubble. This brings the casualty toll among Palestinians since 7 October 2023, as reported by the MoH, to 72,045 fatalities and 171,686 injuries. According to the MoH, the total number includes 259 fatalities who were retroactively added between 23 January and 6 February after their identification details were approved by a ministerial committee. The MoH reported that since the ceasefire agreement, 591 Palestinians have been killed, 1,591 injured, and 720 bodies retrieved from under the rubble. On 4 February, the MoH stated that 54 bodies and 66 boxes containing human remains and body parts were released by the Israeli authorities and transferred to Al Shifa Hospital via the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
- On 4 February, an MSF health worker was hit by a stray bullet inside a health-care facility in Al Mawasi and is in stable condition. On the same day, a Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) paramedic was killed while providing emergency medical services in Khan Younis during an attack in the Al Mawasi area, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Between 7 October 2023 and 9 February 2026, at least 588 aid workers (189 women and 399 men) have been killed in the Gaza Strip, including 396 UN staff and team members, 133 NGO workers, 55 PRCS staff and volunteers, and four ICRC staff.
- According to the Israeli military, between 28 January and 11 February 2026, no Israeli soldiers were killed in the Gaza Strip. The casualty toll among Israeli soldiers since the beginning of the Israeli ground operation in October 2023 stands at 471 fatalities and 3,004 injuries. According to Israeli forces and official Israeli sources cited in the media, more than 1,671 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed, most of them on 7 October 2023 and its immediate aftermath.
- According to the UN 2720 Mechanism, between 26 January and 9 February, more than 19,000 metric tons (MT) of humanitarian aid were collected by the United Nations (UN) and partners from Gaza’s crossings, compared with nearly 21,000 MT of aid collected in the preceding two-week period (11-25 January). Most of the aid (66 per cent) continued to be collected from Kerem Shalom Crossing, while the remaining 34 per cent was collected from Zikim Crossing.
- Food Security Sector (FSS) partners report that food safety during transit, storage and meal preparation remains a major concern. Adverse winter weather has led to significant spoilage before commodities enter Gaza as cargo has been exposed to rain at crossings and during transportation. Additional challenges include access constraints and prolonged inspection procedures. Some shipments, including food aid, spend several days or even weeks at crossings, further contributing to increased losses.
- About 1,500 MT of spoiled commodities already inside Gaza have been segregated in dedicated warehouses to prevent cross-contamination. At community kitchens, limited electricity supply and lack of refrigeration equipment increase the risk of spoilage of perishable foods. To mitigate health and protection risks related to damages, FSS partners are exploring options for the safe disposal of damaged food outside populated areas in consultation with water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and solid waste management partners. Identifying additional disposal sites remains challenging, as three of the 10 temporary dumping sites currently receiving waste are at capacity, with three other sites expected to reach full capacity in the coming months. The two main landfills in areas east of the “Yellow Line” remain inaccessible.
- Humanitarian movements inside Gaza continue to require coordination with Israeli authorities to and from crossings and in or near other areas where Israeli forces remain deployed. Between 26 January and 9 February, 120 humanitarian missions were coordinated with the Israeli authorities, of which 61 were facilitated, 24 were impeded, 20 were denied and 15 were cancelled by the requesting organizations due to operational, logistical or security reasons. The 61 facilitated missions included 23 missions to collect humanitarian cargo from the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings, 10 missions related to the movement of humanitarian personnel, and 12 monitoring missions. They also included eight medical evacuation missions conducted via Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossings, as well as two life-saving missions, among other activities.
Researched by Abiodun Mohammed Adeyemi Ajijola
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