The death toll from Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip has exceeded 70,000, the enclave’s health ministry announced on Saturday. Officials said 301 fatalities had been added since Thursday, bringing the total to 70,100. According to the ministry, two of the latest deaths were from recent Israeli strikes, while the rest were identified from remains long buried under rubble.
Israel’s military offered no immediate comment but has consistently denied targeting civilians throughout the conflict, which has raged for more than two years. Israeli officials have also questioned the accuracy of casualty figures released by Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, accusing the group of inflating numbers—an allegation Hamas rejects.
The bombardment, triggered by the deadly Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, has left much of Gaza in ruins, complicating efforts to gather reliable casualty data. In the early months of the war, officials counted bodies arriving at hospitals and registered names and identity numbers. Later, health authorities delayed adding thousands of reported deaths to the official tally until forensic, medical, and legal checks could be completed.
Since a fragile ceasefire took effect on October 10, the toll has continued to rise as authorities use the relative calm to recover bodies from the wreckage. Public health experts note that pre-war Gaza maintained robust population statistics and health information systems, stronger than in many Middle Eastern countries. The United Nations frequently cites the ministry’s figures and has described them as credible.