CAIRO: The Israeli military says it accepts that over 71,000 Palestinians died in the war against Gaza, an acknowledgement that brings Israel’s numbers closer to the figures issued by the Gaza Health Ministry. The news is reported by Haaretz, which says the acknowledgment marks the first time Israel repeats a number even close to one issued by the Gaza health authorities.
Previously, Israel viewed the Gaza Health Ministry’s figures as unreliable, just as the United Nations found them to be reliable. The IDF’s official figure represents the Palestinians who have been killed directly by Israeli fire since October 7, 2023, though it does not include Palestinians who are missing and buried beneath rubble or have died from starvation and diseases related to the war.
The military said more than 90 percent of those killed were identified by name and ID number. Gaza’s Health Ministry said the overall death toll stands at 71,667, and tens of thousands were injured.
Such an acknowledgement comes as a tenuous détente between Israelis and Hamas enters its second stage through a US-brokered arrangement, with Egypt and Qatar as mediators. Yet, violence continues. At least two Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli fire in eastern Khan Younis, medical officials reported on Thursday, near active military zones.
Since the beginning of the truce in October, at least 490 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes, tank shelling, and gunfire, according to the health authorities in the Gaza Strip. However, the Israeli government states that four of its soldiers have died at the hands of Palestinian armed groups.
Entry into the next phase is anticipated to further increase diplomatic pressures over Hamas’s future in Gaza, particularly the thorny issue of disarmament, which Hamas has thus far rejected.
