Gaza’s Health Ministry says nearly 71,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, as Israeli ceasefire violations, infrastructure collapse, and an ongoing blockade continue to claim lives despite the truce.
The death toll from Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, launched in October 2023 and lasting two years, has risen to 70,937 Palestinians killed and 171,192 wounded, the Gaza Health Ministry reported on Monday.
In a statement, the ministry said that hospitals across the enclave received 12 bodies over the past 48 hours, including four people killed recently and eight recovered from beneath the rubble. Seven injured individuals were also admitted during the same period.
According to the ministry, Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement since October 11 have resulted in the killing of approximately 405 Palestinians and injuries to 1,115 others.
He could've been your father or grandfather.
Don't ignore this injustice. pic.twitter.com/BViazSTODc
— Eyes Of Gaza (@Ros10101) December 20, 2025
It also reported that the number of Palestinians who died due to the collapse of buildings previously damaged by Israeli airstrikes has risen to 15, as harsh weather conditions exacerbated structural instability.
With Israel having destroyed most buildings in the Gaza Strip and continuing to block the entry of mobile homes, construction materials, and reconstruction supplies, many Palestinians are forced to remain in cracked and unsafe structures, in violation of Israel’s obligations under the ceasefire agreement.
In a related development, Khan Yunis Mayor Alaa al-Din al-Batta said municipal authorities were taken by surprise by a sharp reduction in fuel supplies, severely hindering efforts to remove rubble from areas devastated by Israeli military operations.
Israel Violates Gaza Ceasefire as WHO Warns of Mass Child Malnutrition
Al-Batta told Al Jazeera that the municipality is receiving insufficient support from some local organizations tasked with providing the equipment necessary for field operations.
Israel’s war has caused widespread destruction, damaging an estimated 90 percent of Gaza’s infrastructure. The United Nations has placed reconstruction costs at approximately $70 billion.
Despite the ceasefire, living conditions in Gaza have not improved, as the Israeli blockade remains in place, continuing to restrict the entry of essential goods and materials.
(PC, AJA)
