More than 50,000 killed in Gaza, Hamas-run health ministry says

More than 50,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry said on Sunday.

That number – 50,021 – equates to about 2.1% of the 2.3 million pre-war population of the territory, or around 1 in 50 people.

A total of 113,274 others had been injured in the same period, the health ministry said.

In the past, figures from the Gaza Ministry of Health (MoH) were widely used in times of conflict and seen as reliable by the UN and international institutions. But Israel has consistently refuted data published by Gaza’s authorities.

International journalists, including the BBC, are blocked by Israel from entering Gaza independently, so are unable to verify figures from either side.

The figures released by the health ministry for the number of people killed do not differentiate between civilians and fighters.

The war was triggered by Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people, mainly civilians, were killed and 251 other taken hostage.

Israel responded to the 7 October attack with a massive military offensive, which has caused huge amounts of destruction to homes and infrastructure, in addition to the 50,000 dead.