Palestinian health authorities say tens of thousands more could be dead under the rubble, as aid lines collapse and global pressure mounts
The death toll in Gaza has crossed a grim and heart-wrenching threshold. Palestinian health officials said Sunday that more than 56,500 people have been killed in the Israeli military campaign that began last October. And that number might just be scratching the surface.
Another 88 bodies were recovered in the last 24 hours alone. Rescue teams say they can’t even reach many of the dead and wounded—bombed-out buildings, crumbled roads, and ongoing airstrikes have made entire districts unreachable.
Bodies Under Debris, Hunger in the Streets
Gaza’s Health Ministry is blunt: countless victims are still lying under the rubble. And then there are those dying on the streets—not from bombs, but from hunger, thirst, untreated wounds.
There’s a sense of helplessness from the medical community. The few hospitals left standing are overwhelmed and out of basic supplies. They can barely keep the lights on, let alone treat shrapnel wounds or resuscitate the malnourished.
One doctor in Khan Younis told local reporters that she’d treated a five-year-old with blast injuries using nothing but gauze and saline. “We have morphine for maybe two more days,” she said. “Then what?”
The Numbers Are Getting Worse, Fast
It’s not just the death toll from direct strikes that’s rising. The figures on people being killed while simply trying to survive are staggering.
On Sunday, Gaza’s Health Ministry said that 18 Palestinians were killed in the last 24 hours while seeking humanitarian aid near U.S.-designated distribution centers. Another 41 were wounded in similar incidents. Since May 27 alone:
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583 people have died while seeking aid
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Over 4,186 have been injured
Eyewitnesses describe panicked scenes: people crushed in stampedes, shot near checkpoints, or simply dying of dehydration as they wait for trucks that never arrive.
Independent Sources Suggest Even Higher Death Tolls
Israeli newspaper Haaretz, one of the few outlets within Israel documenting the war critically, reported Friday that actual Palestinian deaths may have crossed 100,000.
The report states that the war’s indirect effects—hunger, disease, and exposure—are killing people at nearly the same pace as Israeli munitions.
That figure would mean nearly 4% of Gaza’s total population is gone.
It’s a statistic that’s hard to wrap your head around. Imagine losing 4% of New York City. That’s about 340,000 people. Dead.
Harvard-Linked Study Alleges Massive Civilian Elimination
A study released last week through Harvard Dataverse took the accusations further. According to its findings, Israel could be responsible for the elimination of at least 377,000 Palestinians since the war started in 2023.
That figure has not been independently verified—but its methodology relies on population data, reported civilian infrastructure destruction, and satellite imaging.
The researchers claim this includes not just the dead, but also those missing and presumed dead beneath rubble, or lost to starvation and untreated illnesses. The data was cross-checked with aid organizations, satellite image changes, and birth/death registry disruptions.
One data scientist involved in the study said bluntly, “This isn’t a war. It’s erasure.”
What Gaza’s Health Ministry Reports So Far
Here’s a breakdown of the confirmed figures from the Palestinian Health Ministry as of June 30, 2025:
| Category | Number Reported |
|---|---|
| Deaths in Gaza (since Oct 2023) | 56,500+ |
| Injuries in Gaza | 133,419 |
| Deaths while seeking aid (since May 27) | 583 |
| Injuries while seeking aid | 4,186 |
These are just the ones they can count.
Israel Denies Genocide Accusations, But Pressure Mounts
Israeli officials have consistently denied that their operations amount to genocide, insisting they are targeting Hamas fighters embedded in civilian areas.
However, as schools, mosques, apartment complexes, hospitals, and even aid queues are reduced to dust, that claim is wearing thin for much of the international community.
Multiple countries have cut arms shipments to Israel in recent weeks, including Chile and Belgium. The International Criminal Court in The Hague is reviewing possible charges of war crimes.
The Biden administration has continued to support Israel’s right to self-defense, though leaked diplomatic cables suggest quiet unease behind the scenes.
Aid Agencies Say It’s “Total Collapse”
Meanwhile, humanitarian groups are barely able to function in Gaza.
“We’ve lost contact with most of our teams,” one Red Crescent coordinator said via satellite phone. “There are days when we don’t even know which hospitals still exist.”
Aid trucks that do make it in are often mobbed before they can unload. Organizers describe scenes of desperate children clinging to trucks and fighting over half-empty water bottles.
Even in warzones, this is extreme.
The World Watches, But Action Lags
On social media, the hashtags change every few days. #GazaGenocide. #CeasefireNow. #EndTheOccupation. But the bombs keep falling.
Protests in European capitals have drawn hundreds of thousands. In Paris, demonstrators clashed with police outside the Israeli Embassy. In Washington, protestors shut down a major bridge, calling for a freeze on U.S. military aid.
Still, beyond words and outrage, actual policy shifts remain scarce.
One European diplomat, speaking anonymously, said, “We’re running out of adjectives. And still, nothing changes.”
