Gaza Death Toll Passes 74,000 Despite Fragile Ceasefire

According to Gaza's Health Ministry, the number of Palestinians killed in the war with Israel has exceeded 74,000, with 74,016 fatalities and 175,068 injuries logged as of Saturday, while a truce reached nearly a year earlier remains only partially observed.²³⁵⁷

Toll passes 74,000

Gaza's Health Ministry, which operates under the Hamas-led administration, reported that total Palestinian fatalities now stand at 74,016, alongside 175,068 injured. Women and children make up around half of those killed. International bodies, including UN agencies, generally regard the ministry's statistics as credible.²³⁷⁹

The conflict traces back to October 7, 2023, when militants led by Hamas crossed into Israel, killed roughly 1,200 people—most of them civilians—and abducted 251 others.²³¹⁵

Ceasefire holds only in part

A U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect on October 10, halting the heaviest fighting, but its implementation has stalled and Israeli strikes have continued. Since the truce began, Gaza's Health Ministry says 1,145 Palestinians have been killed, while seven Israeli soldiers have died. Over half of the Palestinian territory remains under Israeli military control.²³⁵⁷

According to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, troops will remain in place until Hamas gives up its weapons, something the group has yet to do.²¹⁵⁷

New strikes reported

According to Gaza's Health Ministry, cited by Daily Sabah, one Palestinian was killed and seven others wounded in Israeli attacks on Sunday. The ministry named the man killed in a drone strike on the al-Mawasi area as 28-year-old Uday Adli al-Assar. The ministry added that two other people were hurt in a strike close to the White Mosque within the al-Shati refugee camp, while five more were wounded near a marketplace in Sheikh Radwan.⁴

According to Arab News, another Israeli attack west of Khan Younis, in the Muwasi area, left one person dead and three injured.⁹

Toll enters Israeli election debate

The renewed toll comes about a month before Israel holds elections on October 27, the first since the October 7 attack, with Netanyahu seeking to remain in power in a tight contest. Hamas political bureau chief Khalil al-Hayya said Palestinians would not accept their losses being used in the campaign.⁹⁶⁸

Dawn reported that opposition figures, including former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, are seen as Netanyahu's most formidable challenger, an account drawn from a single source. Israeli opposition parties have said they will work together to defeat Netanyahu's coalition.⁶⁷