British News Agency

The study also revealed that the Gaza Health Ministry’s reporting on the proportion of women, children, and elderly among the deceased was accurate.

According to the research, between October 7, 2023—when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel that led to a devastating Israeli assault on Gaza—and January 5, 2025, a total of 42,200 women, children, and elderly people were killed. These deaths account for 56 percent of all violent deaths in Gaza.

The authors of the study, which included an economist, a demographer, an epidemiologist, and survey experts, wrote in The Lancet Global Health: “The available evidence indicates that as of January 5, 2025, between 3 and 4 percent of the Gaza Strip’s population had been killed as a result of violence, and that a significant number of indirect, non-violent deaths have also occurred due to the conflict.”

The exact death toll in Gaza remains fiercely debated, but last month a senior Israeli security official told Israeli journalists that the figures compiled by Gaza health authorities are generally accurate, marking a reversal after years of official criticism.

The official reportedly said that approximately 70,000 Palestinians (excluding those missing) have been killed in Israeli attacks on the region since October 2023.

Gaza health authorities state that the number of direct deaths resulting from Israeli attacks has exceeded 71,660, including more than 570 people who have died since the ceasefire came into effect in October 2025.