Palestinian Casualties Since October 7, 2023: Comprehensive Research Analysis

As of November 2, 2025, the Gaza Health Ministry reports that 68,865 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war began on October 7, 2023. This represents approximately 3% of Gaza's pre-war population of 2.2 million people. An additional 169,430 to 170,670 people have been injured, with more than 40,000 sustaining life-altering conditions according to the World Health Organization.reuters+3 The conflict was triggered by Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,195 people (736 Israeli civilians, 79 foreign nationals, and 379 security forces). In response, Israel launched an extensive military campaign involving airstrikes, artillery bombardment, and ground operations across Gaza.

BLEEDING UMMAHMILITARY

Abdur Sami

11/4/202510 min read

Download Full Article

Overview of the Death Toll

As of November 2, 2025, the Gaza Health Ministry reports that 68,865 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war began on October 7, 2023. This represents approximately 3% of Gaza's pre-war population of 2.2 million people. An additional 169,430 to 170,670 people have been injured, with more than 40,000 sustaining life-altering conditions according to the World Health Organization.reuters+3

The conflict was triggered by Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,195 people (736 Israeli civilians, 79 foreign nationals, and 379 security forces). In response, Israel launched an extensive military campaign involving airstrikes, artillery bombardment, and ground operations across Gaza.wikipedia+1

Demographic Breakdown by Age and Gender

The most detailed demographic analysis comes from the Gaza Health Ministry's identified deaths list published in July 2025, which documented 60,199 identified casualties:data.techforpalestine+1

Age Distribution:

Children (0-17 years): 18,430 deaths (30.8% of identified deaths)reuters+1
Adults (18-59 years): Approximately 37,000 deaths (~62%)
Elderly (60+ years): 4,429 deaths (~7%)un

Gender Distribution:

Men: 27,605 deaths (45.9% of identified)un
Women: 9,735 deaths (16.2% of identified)un
Boys: 6,419 deaths
Girls: 4,936 deathsreddit

A UN verification study covering November 2023 to April 2024 found that nearly 70% of verified deaths were women and children. The study confirmed 8,119 deaths during this period, with 44% being children—the youngest a one-day-old boy and the oldest a 97-year-old woman.bbc +1

Civilian vs. Combatant Casualty Ratio

One of the most contested aspects of the death toll is the distinction between civilian and combatant casualties. Multiple sources provide conflicting estimates:

Israeli Claims:
Israel has claimed it killed approximately 17,000 to 24,000 Hamas militants, suggesting a roughly 1:1 or 2:1 civilian-to-combatant ratio.aoav+3

Leaked Israeli Intelligence Database:
A classified Israeli military database obtained by investigative journalists in May 2025 showed that Israeli intelligence had confirmed approximately 8,900 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives killed (7,330 certain, 1,570 probable). Against a total death toll of 53,000 at that time, this indicates that 83% of casualties were civilians—a ratio of approximately 5:1.aljazeera+1

Independent Analysis:
Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) conducted demographic analysis in October 2024 and concluded that at least 74% of deaths were civilians, with estimates ranging from 74% to 90% depending on assumptions about male civilian casualties. The Washington Institute for Near East Policy estimated approximately 24,000 combatants and 33,400 civilians killed, yielding a 1.4:1 ratio.washingtoninstitute+1

Conflict researchers note that the civilian casualty ratio in Gaza is among the highest in modern warfare, comparable only to Rwanda, Srebrenica, and Russia's siege of Mariupol.aljazeera

How Casualties Occur: Methods and Circumstances

Airstrikes:
Airstrikes represent the primary method of killing, with Israeli forces conducting thousands of strikes using US-made munitions including Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), 2,000-pound bombs, and Small Diameter Bombs. These weapons have been used in attacks on residential buildings, refugee camps, and schools housing displaced persons.time+3

Artillery and Shelling:
Heavy artillery bombardment has caused extensive civilian casualties in populated areas. Historical precedent from 2006 shows that Israeli artillery killed 59 Palestinians (including 17 children and 12 women) in just nine months, with most casualties occurring after Israel reduced the "safety zone" from 300 to 100 meters from populated areas.hrw

Ground Operations:
Direct gunfire during military raids, detention operations, and ground combat has resulted in civilian deaths. American doctors volunteering in Gaza reported treating at least 18 children with gunshot wounds to the head or chest in just one month, suggesting a disturbing pattern of targeting.revealnews

Starvation and Disease (Indirect Deaths):
As of September 2025, 361 Palestinians have died from malnutrition, including 130 children. However, this represents only documented deaths in hospitals. A study published in The Lancet in July 2024 estimated that indirect deaths from starvation, disease, and lack of healthcare could reach 186,000 when applying conservative multipliers from historical conflicts.aljazeera+2

More recent analysis by healthcare workers estimated over 62,000 deaths from starvation alone by October 2024, while other studies suggest the actual death toll including indirect deaths could exceed 80,000 to 100,000.dw+1

Bodies Under Rubble:
Between 10,000 and 20,000 people are estimated to remain buried under rubble, unable to be recovered due to restrictions on rescue operations and the scale of destruction.reddit+2

Children and Women: The Most Vulnerable

The war has had a catastrophic impact on children:

Child Deaths:
More than 18,430 children have been confirmed killed, representing one of the highest rates of child casualties in modern conflict. Oxfam found that more children were killed in Gaza in one year than in any other conflict over the past two decades. A demographic study estimated that 8,120 children died in just the first three months (October-December 2023).pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih+2

Orphans:
Between October and December 2023 alone, the conflict created 15,127 paternal orphans and 9,886 maternal orphans. The probability of a child losing a parent increased six-fold for fathers and nine-fold for mothers compared to 2022.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih

Child Malnutrition:
As of October 2025, 54,600 children suffer from acute malnutrition, including 41,000 severe cases. In July 2025 alone, over 12,000 children were identified as acutely malnourished—the highest monthly figure ever recorded and a six-fold increase since the start of the year.who+2

Women:
More than 6,000 women were killed in the first 12 months, the highest number of women killed in any conflict in a single year over the past two decades. An estimated 55,000 pregnant women are trapped in Gaza, with approximately 130 babies born daily, 20% of whom are premature or underweight.oxfam+1

Life-Altering Injuries and Medical Crisis

Beyond deaths, the war has created an unprecedented medical crisis:

Severe Injuries:
Nearly 42,000 people have life-changing injuries, including more than 10,000 children. These include:news.un+1

5,000+ amputationsemro.who+1
22,000+ severe limb injuriesemro.who
2,000+ spinal cord injuriesemro.who
1,300+ traumatic brain injuriesemro.who
3,300+ major burnsemro.who

Healthcare System Collapse:
Only 14 to 17 of Gaza's 36 hospitals remain partially functional, with none fully operational. The WHO has recorded 697 attacks on healthcare facilities since October 2023. At least 42 rehabilitation workers have been killed, and the sole limb reconstruction center has been non-functional since December 2023.who+2

Healthcare Worker Casualties:
Nearly 360 UNRWA staff members have been killed, making this conflict one of the deadliest for humanitarian workers.un

Journalists and Media Workers

The Gaza war has become the deadliest conflict for journalists in recorded history. According to various sources:wikipedia

192 to 274 journalists have been killed, with at least 184 of them Palestinianpbs+1
The UN reports 242 Palestinian journalists killed by August 2025wikipedia
Notable incidents include a double-strike on Nasser Hospital in August 2025 that killed 5 journalists from AP, Reuters, and Al Jazeeranpr+2

Famine and Humanitarian Crisis

In August 2025, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) officially confirmed famine conditions in Gaza for the first time—the first famine declared in the Middle East region. Key indicators:who

Over 640,000 people face Catastrophic food insecurity (IPC Phase 5)who
1.14 million in Emergency conditions (IPC Phase 4)who
98% of cropland is damaged or inaccessiblewho
39% of people reported going days without eatingwho

West Bank Casualties

The conflict has also intensified violence in the occupied West Bank:

1,001 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces and settlers between October 7, 2023 and October 2025reliefweb+1
One in five victims is a child (213 children)un
Over 10,000 Palestinians have been detained since October 7, 2023wikipedia
Mass detentions, torture, and enforced disappearances have been widely documentednewarab+1

Infrastructure Destruction and Displacement

The scale of destruction is unprecedented:

Displacement:

1.9 to 2.0 million Palestinians displaced (86-90% of population)pcbs+1
Many have been displaced multiple timesnpr
Less than 12% of Gaza designated as "safe zones"news.un

Infrastructure:

94% of hospitals destroyed or damagedwho
87% of schools destroyed or damagedhrw
All 12 universities completely destroyedaljazeera
68-98% of cropland destroyedhrw+1
80% of water and sanitation infrastructure destroyedhrw
912 incidents affecting UNRWA installations (312 facilities hit)un

Weapons and International Responsibility

Multiple investigations have documented the use of US-supplied weapons in attacks resulting in mass civilian casualties:

US-made JDAMs (Joint Direct Attack Munitions) used in strikes killing dozens of civiliansamnesty+1
2,000-pound bombs acknowledged by President Biden as causing civilian deathsabc
Small Diameter Bombs used in attacks on schoolsaljazeera
Amnesty International documented US weapons in numerous unlawful attacksamnestyusa+1

Data Verification and Methodology

Gaza Health Ministry Methodology:
The Gaza Health Ministry, staffed by medical professionals, collects data from hospitals, morgues, the Red Crescent, and Palestinian Civil Defense. Since May 2024, it has distinguished between identified and unidentified victims. The UN, WHO, and independent experts consider the ministry's figures broadly reliable, noting they have aligned closely with UN assessments in previous conflicts.lemonde+3

Challenges and Limitations:

Hospital system disruptions have made data collection difficultbbc+1
Thousands remain unidentified under rubbledata.techforpalestine+1
Bodies returned by Israel often lack identificationsentinelcolorado+2
Indirect deaths from starvation and disease are significantly undercountedaljazeera+1
The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatantsairwars+1

International Court of Justice Findings

South Africa filed a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in December 2023. The ICJ issued provisional measures in January 2024, finding that Palestinians in Gaza have "plausible rights to protection from genocide". The court ordered Israel to prevent genocidal acts and allow humanitarian aid, though Israel has been accused of flouting these orders.bbc +2

Estimated Total Death Toll

While the official count stands at approximately 68,865 deaths, several factors suggest the actual toll is significantly higher:

Bodies under rubble: 10,000-20,000 estimatedaljazeera+1
Indirect deaths: 8,540 to 186,000 estimated depending on methodologythelancet+2
Unidentified and unreported deaths: Unknown but potentially substantial
Starvation deaths: Likely in the tens of thousandscurrentaffairs

Credible estimates from healthcare workers who served in Gaza suggest the true death toll may exceed 118,900 as of October 2024, while some studies estimate it could reach half a million when including all direct and indirect deaths.thecradle+1

Summary Data Tables

Conclusion

The Palestinian casualty toll since October 7, 2023 represents one of the most devastating humanitarian catastrophes of the 21st century. With over 68,800 confirmed deaths, 170,000 injuries, 42,000 life-changing injuries, and an additional 10,000-20,000 missing under rubble, the scale of loss is unprecedented. Children and women comprise the majority of verified casualties, with nearly one-third of all deaths being children under 18. The destruction of 94% of hospitals, confirmation of famine conditions, and mass displacement of 90% of the population have created conditions that experts warn may lead to hundreds of thousands of indirect deaths in the years to come. Multiple independent analyses suggest the civilian casualty ratio ranges from 74% to 83%, among the highest in modern warfare history.