The Gaza Health Ministry, administered by the Palestinian movement Hamas, announced today that more than 70,000 people have been killed in the Palestinian territories since the outbreak of the war following Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.
This tragic milestone comes one and a half months after a fragile ceasefire, mediated by the United States, which both sides accuse each other of violating.
According to the Ministry, the total number of conflict-related deaths has reached 70,100, while 354 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the start of the ceasefire on 10 October. In the last 48 hours, two additional bodies were brought to Gaza hospitals, one of which was recovered from the rubble. The war has also caused widespread destruction across the Gaza Strip.
The 7 October attack resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to figures gathered by AFP from official sources.
Additionally, 251 individuals were kidnapped during the Hamas assault and taken to Gaza, France24 reports.
As part of the ceasefire arrangement, Hamas released 20 surviving hostages it still held and returned the bodies of 26 out of 28 deceased captives. For its part, Israel released around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and repatriated the remains of hundreds of deceased Palestinians.
