The Israeli military interactions with Gaza have led to an estimated inflicted loss of more than 50,000 Palestinians, according to the Ministry of Health of Hamas. This shocking, yet alarming, estimate is about 50,021 at the present moment. This figure also roughly translates to about 1 in 46 people in the Gaza region. Moreover, the ministry reported that an additional 113,274 people have suffered from injuries during this period.
Over 50,000 Estimated Dead in Gaza
The available information struggles with the Gaza MoH, which has suffered throughout the conflict, but even so, the US and other international organisations regard it as legitimate. Nevertheless, Israel has continuously refuted the numbers provided by Gaza’s administration.
The Israeli restrictions result in international journalists such as those from the BBC being unable to independently validate any information from Gaza, as checking the figures from either side is impossible.
The MoH’s death toll does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Women and children accounted for about seventy per cent of the verified casualties within the six months’ time frame reported by the UN’s human rights office in November. An article in The Lancet published in January claimed that the real death toll is likely to be much higher than the methodical MoH count, possibly up to 41 per cent more.
The escalating conflict began with a Hamas attack that occurred on October 7, 2023, resulting in roughly 1,200 mostly civilian casualties and the kidnapping of 251 individuals. As an act of revenge, Israel initiated a heavy armed invasion that led to the obliteration of innumerable infrastructures and homes, as well as an unfathomable number of deaths and injuries. 673 is the toll reported by the MoH since the military intrusion Israel initiated in the territory on Tuesday, with an additional 39 deaths reported in the last day and counting.
