Photos: The staggering human toll of Israel’s war on Gaza

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 20,000 Palestinians, including women and children, destroyed homes and livelihoods, and displaced millions of people.

With Israel pledging to continue its assault, the aerial and ground offensive is already one of the most devastating military offensives in recent history.

The deaths in Gaza amount to nearly 1 percent of the territory’s pre-war population – just the latest in a long list of statistics that tell of the 11-week-old conflict’s staggering human toll.

The pounding has displaced nearly 85 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million people, levelling wide swaths of the tiny coastal enclave.

More than half a million people are starving, according to a report from the United Nations and other agencies released on Thursday.

But these statistics tell only part of the story, these images help to show the grim face of war.