Health Ministry: Death Toll from Israel’s War on Gaza Surpasses 70,000

Gaza’s Health Ministry says the death toll in the besieged territory has surpassed 70,000 since the beginning of Israel’s genocidal war more than two years ago.

In a statement on Saturday, the ministry said the total number of Palestinians killed since the start of the war has risen to 70,100, adding that 354 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since a ceasefire between the Israeli regime and the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas took effect.

The ministry further reported that two bodies, one of which was recovered from beneath collapsed buildings, were brought to hospitals in the past 48 hours.

It also noted that the latest increase in the official death toll is partly due to the identification and validation of 299 previously unregistered bodies.

This grim milestone comes as Israel continues to violate a delicate US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza through almost daily attacks.

Gaza remains entrenched in a dire humanitarian crisis, characterized by extensive devastation, displacement, and shortages of essential provisions such as food, clean water, medical supplies, and fuel.

On October 10, a ceasefire took effect in the Gaza Strip, based on a phased plan presented by US President Donald Trump. The first phase included the release of Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Israel accepted the Gaza truce deal after two years, following the failure to achieve its declared objectives of eliminating the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas and freeing all captives, despite killing 68,159 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 170,203 others by that point.

Despite the truce, conditions remain dire. Many Palestinians attempting to return to their homes in northern Gaza face “a daily struggle for survival.” Large parts of the region remain inaccessible due to the continued presence of Israeli forces.