Hamas-run ministry says death toll in Gaza war passes 69,000

Bodies of unidentified Palestinians returned from Israel as part of the ceasefire deal are brought to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, November 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Bodies of unidentified Palestinians returned from Israel as part of the ceasefire deal are brought to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, November 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry says that the death toll has climbed to 69,169, with another 170,685 wounded since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel.

The latest jump in deaths is attributed to more bodies being recovered under the rubble since the ceasefire was announced in the devastated Strip, and also because of the identification of previously unidentified bodies.

The toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed over 22,000 combatants in battle as of August and another 1,600 terrorists inside Israel during the October 7 onslaught.

Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas, including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.

Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 476. The toll includes two police officers and three Defense Ministry civilian contractors.

Times of Israel contributed to this report.

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