Death toll in Gaza surpasses 70000, Health Ministry confirms
The death toll in Gaza has climbed past a devastating 70,000, the territory’s Health Ministry announced Saturday, with Israeli attacks ongoing despite the truce deal.
The numbers, grim and overwhelming, reflect one of the war’s darkest periods since it began on 7 October 2023, with over 170,000 people injured amid continuous bombardment.
In the early months of the war, officials recorded deaths based on bodies brought to hospitals along with names and ID numbers. Later, Gaza health authorities said they delayed adding thousands of reported fatalities to the official count until forensic, medical, and legal verification could be completed.
Even after the fragile ceasefire on October 10, the toll has kept growing, with authorities using the quiet period to search the ruins for more bodies. According to public health experts speaking to Reuters, Gaza’s pre-war population and health data systems were more advanced than those of most Middle Eastern nations.
The U.N. regularly references the health ministry’s numbers, saying they are credible.
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