Israel-Gaza War: Gaza Health Ministry Reports 34,000 Dead, 11,000 of Them Children

Gaza’s health ministry has released a list identifying 34,344 Palestinians who have died in Israeli attacks since the war began, detailing names, ages, genders, and ID numbers for more than 80% of the total death toll. The remaining 7,613 victims are still unidentified, as their bodies have been recovered but not yet confirmed by hospitals or morgues.

The deceased include 169 infants born after the Hamas attacks on October 7, which initiated the war, and a man born in 1922, who had lived through over a century of conflict. The list spans 649 pages, with most names arranged by age, illustrating the devastating impact on Gaza’s young population. Notably, over 100 pages are dedicated to children under the age of 10, with the first adult names only appearing on page 215.

While Israeli officials have cast doubt on the accuracy of the death toll provided by Gaza’s health authorities, citing Hamas’ control over the territory, past conflicts have shown these figures to be generally reliable. United Nations investigators have previously found that Gaza’s records closely match their own in past wars.

The newly released list adds over 2,000 names to the total number of identified victims, though it does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. However, the majority of the 34,344 identified deaths are civilians, based on age and gender data. Among the dead are 11,355 children, 6,297 women, and 2,955 elderly individuals.

Israel, on the other hand, claims to have killed 17,000 militants, though it has not provided evidence or estimates for civilian casualties. The official death toll from Gaza’s health authorities also excludes those still trapped beneath rubble from collapsed buildings, as well as those who have died from indirect causes such as hunger, disease, and the collapse of the healthcare system. Officials estimate around 10,000 people remain buried under ruins, with more lives lost to deteriorating living conditions, which will be accounted for once fighting ceases.