Gaza’s Health Ministry reports 69,169 deaths and 170,685 wounded since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack. The recent rise in recorded fatalities reflects bodies recovered from rubble after the ceasefire and newly identified remains. The update followed a U.S.-brokered exchange in which Israel returned 15 Palestinian bodies to Gaza while militants handed over the remains of an Israeli, identified as Lior Rudaeff. The moves are part of a fragile truce and ongoing efforts to account for victims.
Gaza Death Toll Surpasses 69,000 as Ceasefire Leads to More Recovered Bodies
Gaza’s Health Ministry reports 69,169 deaths and 170,685 wounded since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack. The recent rise in recorded fatalities reflects bodies recovered from rubble after the ceasefire and newly identified remains. The update followed a U.S.-brokered exchange in which Israel returned 15 Palestinian bodies to Gaza while militants handed over the remains of an Israeli, identified as Lior Rudaeff. The moves are part of a fragile truce and ongoing efforts to account for victims.
18:56, 08.11.2025Conflict
Gaza health officials: more than 69,000 killed since Oct. 7, 2023
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Gaza’s Health Ministry said Saturday that the death toll in the Israel-Hamas war has risen to 69,169, with 170,685 people wounded since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack into Israel.
Officials attributed the recent increase in recorded deaths to the recovery of bodies from beneath rubble after the ceasefire was declared and to the identification of remains that had previously been unidentifiable. Many of these recoveries have occurred in areas that were heavily damaged during the fighting.
The update followed a body-exchange under the fragile, U.S.-brokered truce. Israel returned the bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza on Saturday, a day after militants handed over the remains of an Israeli, marking another reciprocal step in the agreement. Under the terms of the deal, Israel has been returning the remains of 15 Palestinians for each Israeli hostage or remains recovered.
The Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis confirmed receipt of the 15 bodies. Separately, Israeli authorities said the remains returned on Friday night were identified as those of an Israeli man, Lior Rudaeff, who the Prime Minister’s office said died fighting Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that ignited the war.
Context: The exchange and the recent identification of additional victims come amid ongoing efforts to account for the missing and honor the dead after intense hostilities over the past two years.
Reporting by AP. Additional reporting from Jerusalem.