The Israeli army now admits Hamas's death toll of more than 71,000 in Gaza

BarcelonaThe Israeli army has accepted as a reference the estimate from the Hamas-governed Gaza Health Ministry, which puts the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since the start of the war on October 7, 2023, at approximately 71,700, reports the Israeli newspaper. HaaretzAccording to military sources, the figure only counts deaths from direct military attacks: it does not include missing persons who may still be buried under the rubble, nor deaths caused by hunger, cold, the spread of curable diseases, and the destruction of the Gaza Strip's entire healthcare system. Until now, Israel had denied these figures, dismissing them as Islamist war propaganda, although international organizations and independent expert estimates supported them.

According to the ministry's count, at least 486 Palestinians have died in Israeli attacks in Gaza since the ceasefire brokered by Donald Trump was signed on October 11. In addition to the deaths, at least 171,410 Palestinians have been wounded in these 27 months of Israeli attacks, many suffering amputations or other lifelong injuries. This is equivalent to one in fourteen inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, and with hospitals operating at a bare minimum due to systematic attacks on healthcare infrastructure, it has a far-reaching impact.

According to HaaretzThe army is now analyzing the data to determine how many of the dead were combatants and how many were civilians. The official Palestinian ministry registry identifies more than 90% of the recorded victims by name and ID number, but does not distinguish between militants and civilians.

International endorsement

Despite Israel's vehement denial of these figures, data from the Gaza Ministry of Health has been examined by governments, international organizations, media outlets, and researchers. Experts and independent studies have concluded that the death registration system is methodologically sound and that, far from being an exaggeration, it is a conservative estimate given the scale of destruction caused by Israel's genocidal operation. Independent estimates based on experience from previous conflicts, verified reports, and epidemiological methodology suggest much higher figures, between 300,000 and 600,000 deaths, if all victims of the humanitarian crisis caused by Israel are taken into account.

With the State of Israel and its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu facing prosecution in international courts for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, one of the key issues is the proportion of civilian casualties killed in Gaza. International humanitarian law requires distinguishing between military targets and civilian populations, as well as ensuring that attacks are proportionate. A high proportion of civilian casualties fuels accusations of disproportionate use of force and war crimes. In fact, this is not the first time Israeli military officials have admitted to the high death toll in Gaza after 27 months of the genocidal offensive. In September, Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, the general who led the war between January 2013 and March 2015, said that "more than 10% of the population of Gaza has been killed or wounded," meaning a total casualty count of 230,000 people. With a puffed-out chest, Halevi declared at a public event: "This is not a soft war; we took off the gloves from the very first minute." He added that "not once" had any legal authority "limited" his actions during the war.

Independent experts also support this estimate of 10% of the population killed or wounded in the Gaza Strip. Oxford University professor Neta Crawford, who coordinates the Costs of War project, published an article in a specialist journal in October reaching the same conclusion: "Since October 7, 2023, more than 10% of the population of Gaza has been directly killed or wounded." She also warned that "the destruction of infrastructure—including energy, water, sanitation, agriculture, housing, and the healthcare system—has created such difficult living conditions that it causes long-term damage to the rest of the population." In Gaza, it's not just about the direct deaths, but about making life impossible for the survivors.