The Israeli military has accepted the accuracy of the Palestinian Health Ministry’s death toll in Gaza, confirming that about 71,000 Palestinians have been killed in the genocide, after years of refusing to acknowledge the ministry’s reports.
According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz on Thursday, the army said the death toll of around 71,000 killed is largely correct, adding that it did not include those missing and buried under the rubble.
Israel had for years refused to accept the death tolls reported by the Palestinian Health Ministry, even branding it “misleading and unreliable”.
For over 2yrs, most of my pro-Israel guests have angrily denied the Gaza Health Ministry’s casualty numbers and said they were wildly exaggerated. Now, the IDF has accepted they’re accurate. https://t.co/xE0glY8Sfk
The military said it was analysing the data, which also does not include those who died of starvation or from diseases exacerbated by Israel’s years-long genocide in Gaza.
While accepting their accuracy, the military said it was looking to distinguish civilian and military deaths in the enclave.
The data published by the Health Ministry regarding the dead and wounded in the Gaza Strip have been used since the beginning of the genocide by many international organizations, including UN agencies, governments, media outlets, and researchers, and there is broad agreement that they are reliable.
Also, several studies have even raised the possibility that the death toll in Gaza is even higher than the Health Ministry reports. In June 2025, a study was released concluding that, as of January of that year, some 75,200 Gazans were killed during the war. At the time, more and more international experts concluded that the Health Ministry’s data is reliable, and may even be very conservative.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry this week, over 71,660 Palestinians have been killed during the genocide in Gaza and 171,340 others wounded according to the Quds News Network.
An Israeli soldier killed himself in a military base in northern Israel, taking the suicide-related death toll to 61 since the beginning of the Gaza war in October 2023, local media said.
According to the Haaretz newspaper, a soldier serving compulsory military service sustained critical injuries after shooting himself inside a base and was pronounced dead Tuesday evening in a hospital.
A military statement earlier said that a soldier was seriously injured in a shooting at a military base in northern Israel and was taken to the hospital, where he later died, noting that the military police had opened an investigation into the incident.
A total of 279 Israeli soldiers have attempted to commit suicide from the beginning of 2024 until July 2025, amounting to roughly one completed suicide for every seven attempts, according to a report by the Knesset Research and Information Center.
The Israeli army earlier confirmed that 48 soldiers had taken their own lives during military service since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.
At least 13 soldiers also died of suicide outside military service due to psychological problems, including six since the beginning of this year; raising the total number of suicides since the start of the war to 61, Haaretz said.
Twenty Israeli soldiers died by suicide in 2024, and 16 others since the beginning of this year until July, Haaretz reported, noting that since then at least four additional soldiers have taken their own lives.
In October, Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir acknowledged a worsening mental health crisis within the army, saying thousands of soldiers were receiving psychological treatment. He urged commanders to stay alert, detect mental health problems within their units, and ensure that soldiers seek immediate treatment.
Nearly 10,000 Israeli soldiers out of 19,000 injured in Gaza are suffering from psychological disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder and are being treated at the Defense Ministry’s Rehabilitation Department, according to a previous report by the public broadcaster KAN published in late July.
Israel has killed nearly 70,700 victims, mostly women and children, and injured more than 171,000 in Gaza since October 2023 and reduced the enclave to rubble according to Anadolu.
International newspapers and research centers are openly warning that “the belief in the possibility of quickly eliminating the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) is an illusion and a political and military naiveté. This is coming at a time when the international boycott of Israel is expanding and the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is worsening.
Impossibility
The New York Times quotes Israeli military officers and experts as saying “the complete elimination of Hamas is unrealistic in the near term.” They note that “the movement still possesses a strong presence and combat capabilities that allow it to continue the confrontation for years.”
They maintain: “Betting on eliminating Hamas within a short period reflects an oversimplification of a complex equation.”
Great Civilian Losses
The British newspaper The Guardian states that field reports revealed that Israeli airstrikes are causing large numbers of civilian casualties in Gaza, while Hamas losses remain limited compared to what Israel officially announces.
The newspaper also notes: “The movement is resorting to unconventional tactics such as mines and ambushes, which increases the difficulty of the Israeli mission.”
International Boycott
The British newspaper The Financial Times confirms: “Boycott campaigns against Israel are growing at an unprecedented rate, encompassing the fields of sports, culture, and academia.”
The newspaper highlights a massive advertising campaign in Times Square in New York City, explicitly calling for a boycott of Israel and accusing it of committing “genocide” in Gaza.
In the same context, the Hebrew newspaper Israel Hayom reveals that the Italian authorities have decided to exclude Israel from participating in a tourism exhibition in Rimini, on the grounds that its presence would be “inappropriate” given the ongoing war and humanitarian crisis.
Worsening Humanitarian Tragedy
On the humanitarian front, the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz devotes extensive space to documenting the suffering of women and the most vulnerable groups in Gaza.
It notes the rise in miscarriages, the prevalence of malnutrition among mothers and infants, and a severe shortage of basic health services whilst warning that repeated displacement and poor living conditions are exacerbating the humanitarian catastrophe.
Future Scenarios
International analysts believe Hamas is still capable of reorganizing its ranks and relying on guerrilla warfare and unconventional methods, making it difficult for Israel to resolve the confrontation militarily.
It also predicted the conflict over Gaza would continue for a long time, with the increasing humanitarian and political costs for Israel and the increasing diplomatic and legal pressure on it in international forums.
Since October 7, 2023, the occupying forces, with direct support from the United States and Western countries, have continued to wage a devastating war in Gaza, resulting in the death and injury of more than 231,000 Palestinians to date, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Strip according to JO24.
Israel’s top army general has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of withholding decisions on the war in Gaza, as new reports indicate thousands of Israeli soldiers have abandoned combat service since the genocidal assault on the enclave began, according to Israeli media.
According to the Anadolu news agency, the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Monday that Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir told the Knesset’s intelligence subcommittee last week that Netanyahu had not provided clear instructions on the army’s next steps in Gaza, the report said.
“The prime minister doesn’t tell us what comes next, so we don’t know what to prepare for,” the newspaper quoted Zamir as saying.
He added that if the government intends to impose a military administration in Gaza, “they should state it openly.”
GHF Criticized
Zamir also criticized the US-backed aid distribution scheme run by the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, calling it a “failure.”
Despite the expansion of distribution centers from four to 12, Zamir questioned why Israel was enlarging a program that “did not work in the first place.”
“I don’t understand why they are spending money on it and increasing the number of aid centers to 12, if it failed when there were four,” he is quoted by Haaretz as saying.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says Israeli attacks on aid seekers at distribution sites have killed more than 2,400 Palestinians and wounded over 18,000.
Morale Crisis
Meanwhile, Haaretz reported that the army is facing an unprecedented morale crisis, with thousands of conscripts leaving frontline units since October 2023. Many were reassigned to non-combat duties or discharged altogether, with officers admitting the scale of withdrawals is without precedent, Anadolu cited the paper as reporting.
Testimonies collected by Haaretz described deep psychological scars among troops, including post-traumatic stress and what military counselors call “moral injuries”- trauma from actions that conflict with personal values. Soldiers spoke of accidental killings of children, snipers ordered to fire on civilians near aid convoys, and repeated suicide attempts in combat brigades.
While the army’s spokesperson has withheld official figures, senior officers told Haaretz the problem is “out of control.”
The Jerusalem Post reported on Monday that the Hostages and Missing Families Forum have demanded a meeting with Zamir over “the threat” that the operation in Gaza City poses to the captives held in the enclave.
20,000 Wounded Soldiers
On Monday, Haaretz reported that around 20,000 soldiers injured in the Gaza onslaught “are being treated by the Defense Ministry Rehabilitation Division, with 55 percent – roughly 10,700 – struggling with mental health issues.”
Citing the Defense Ministry, the paper said” 20 percent of those with mental health issues were also physically wounded, while 45 percent of the veterans registered with the division are dealing with physical injuries only.”
By 2028, the division estimates it will treat “100,000 injured veterans, including 50,000 with mental health injuries.”
Ongoing Genocide
Starting on October 7, 2023, the Israeli military, with American support, launched a genocidal war against the people of Gaza. This campaign has so far resulted in the deaths of more than 64,900 Palestinians, with more than 164,000 wounded. The vast majority of the population has been displaced, and the destruction of infrastructure is unprecedented since World War II. Thousands of people are still missing.
In addition to the military assault, the Israeli blockade has caused a man-made famine, leading to the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians—mostly children—with hundreds of thousands more at risk.
Despite widespread international condemnation, little has been done to hold Israel accountable. The nation is currently under investigation for genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are officially wanted by the International Criminal Court as reported in the Palestine Chronicle.
Israel’s military said Saturday it is preparing to forcibly move Palestinians from Gaza City to the southern part of the enclave, as part of its broader plan to reoccupy the Gaza Strip, a move that has drawn widespread international criticism.
Army spokesman Avichay Adraee claimed in a statement that starting Sunday, the army would resume allowing the entry of tents and shelter equipment for Palestinians displaced by nearly two years of war.
He alleged the supplies would be brought in “under the supervision of the United Nations and international relief agencies” through the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Gaza after “thorough inspections.” Neither the UN nor aid groups have issued immediate comment.
The announcement came a day after Israeli media, including public broadcaster KAN, reported that the army was preparing to accelerate its offensive aimed at capturing Gaza City. Haaretz and Yedioth Ahronoth said army forces received orders to get ready for a full-scale ground incursion, though not before September.
“The Israeli claims about providing civilians with tents are nothing but a blatant attempt to whitewash the crime of mass forced displacement it has been committing since the start of the genocide in Gaza,” Ismail Thawbteh, director of the Government Media Office in Gaza, told Anadolu.
He warned that the area the Israeli army intends to designate for these tents to house the displaced civilians could become “a new blood trap,” similar to what happened in al-Mawasi area west of Rafah and Khan Younis in southern Gaza, where more than 1.5 million people were herded in recent months.
“The forced displacement of civilians under occupation constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity under the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.”
Thawbteh said the planned transfer of civilians is part of a “systematic policy to empty Gaza of its residents and replace the right of voluntary and safe return with an imposed reality of tents and isolated areas.”
On Wednesday, Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir approved what he called the “central idea” of Israel’s reoccupation plan, including an assault on the Zeitoun neighborhood in southern Gaza City, where the army’s 99th Division has already been deployed.
Last week, Israel’s Security Cabinet endorsed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to fully reoccupy Gaza, triggering international outrage and domestic protests that warned it amounted to a “death sentence” for Israeli captives held in the enclave.
The plan envisions starting with the takeover of Gaza City by displacing nearly 1 million residents to the south, surrounding the city, and then carrying out raids into its neighborhoods. A second phase would involve retaking refugee camps in central Gaza, much of which has already been reduced to rubble.
The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal war in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, killing 61,900 Palestinians.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
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