Israeli Military Admits Death Toll in Gaza Reaches 71,000

According to reports from leading Israeli media outlets Ynet News and Haaretz, senior military officials have been quoted stating that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) now estimate approximately 70,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war.

Since the outbreak of the bloody conflict on October 7, 2023, Israel had consistently questioned the credibility of data released by the Gaza Ministry of Health. However, during a briefing on Thursday, military officials admitted that their own internal estimates place the death toll at nearly 70,000. Notably, this figure does not include the more than 10,000 people currently reported missing under the rubble.

According to the latest data from the Gaza Ministry of Health, the total number of fatalities has exceeded 71,667, with more than 171,000 others injured. The Ministry stated that the majority of the deceased are women and children. While the Israeli military claims that approximately 25,000 of those killed were Hamas fighters, these figures have not been verified by independent sources.

Despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire taking effect last October, Israeli strikes have not ceased entirely. At least 480 Palestinians have lost their lives in the period following the ceasefire agreement. Human rights organizations and the United Nations have maintained from the beginning that the Gaza Health Ministry’s data is reliable—a stance now reflected in the admissions of Israeli military officials. Currently, the influx of casualties in Gaza’s hospitals and a dire food shortage have pushed the humanitarian situation to a catastrophic level.