Israeli officials have indicated they will recognise an estimated 70,000 deaths in Gaza, a figure close to the Gaza Health Ministry's reported 71,667. IDF sources say it is unclear how many of the dead are militants, and they dispute some claims such as at least 440 malnutrition deaths. Academic studies and international agencies provide context on civilian casualty ranges, while some research suggests the true toll could be substantially higher.
Israel Signals It Will Recognise Roughly 70,000 Gaza Deaths — IDF Says Combatant Breakdown Unclear
An Israeli airstrike on Gaza City two days after the Hamas-led massacre in Israel - Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images
Israeli officials have signalled they are prepared to acknowledge an estimated 70,000 deaths in the Gaza Strip during the current conflict, a figure the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) reportedly provided to multiple Israeli news outlets for the first time.
That estimate is close to the 71,667 total published by the Gaza Health Ministry, which is administered by Hamas. Throughout the war, Israeli authorities had repeatedly accused the ministry of publishing "exaggerated" figures and urged journalists and aid agencies to treat its data with caution. Until now, Israel had declined to publish its own aggregate casualty estimate.
IDF officials emphasised that the composition of the roughly 70,000 figure remains unclear: it is not yet known how many of the dead are combatants or are being classified as "terrorists." The Gaza Health Ministry's tally is understood to count people killed directly by Israeli military action, rather than deaths attributed to secondary causes such as disease or disruptions to services.
Gaza ministry: At least 71,667 dead, including some 440 reported deaths from malnutrition.
Israeli security sources reject the claim that 440 Palestinians died of malnutrition, arguing that the figures may include people with serious pre-existing conditions and that Hamas has an interest in inflating casualties. Israel has also repeatedly accused Hamas of embedding fighters, weapons and command posts among the civilian population and beneath sensitive sites such as schools and hospitals — a tactic Israel says places civilians at grave risk.
Israeli warplanes bomb Deir al Balah in Gaza, Aug 2025 - Anadolu via Getty Images
The proportionality of Israel's military response to the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7 has been a persistent source of international controversy. IDF officials have previously been reported as estimating roughly two to three civilian deaths for every armed militant killed, a ratio that, if accurate, would significantly affect interpretations of the overall toll.
Comparisons with other conflicts are difficult because each war is different, but historical research provides context. In 1999 the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) estimated that between 30% and 65% of casualties in armed conflicts were civilians; later research by the Uppsala Conflict Data Programme (UCDP) offers a broadly similar range. In 2017 the UCDP reported that civilians constituted between 49% and 66% of documented deaths in urban warfare.
Some academic work suggests Gaza's true death toll could exceed the Health Ministry's published figures. A study published in January by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine estimated the real figure could be about 40% higher than the ministry's numbers. The IDF has countered that a notable number of civilian casualties, particularly in early 2024, resulted from misfired Hamas rockets that fell inside Gaza.
The Telegraph has approached the IDF for comment.
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