Death toll in Gaza war surpasses 60,000, says Hamas health ministry

Tuesday 29 July 2025 - 17:20

By: Dakir Madiha

Death toll in Gaza war surpasses 60,000, says Hamas health ministry

The Gaza Health Ministry announced on Tuesday, July 29, that the death toll from the war with Israel has exceeded 60,000 since the conflict began, following the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israeli territory. The ongoing war has also left over 145,000 injured, according to the ministry.

Mounting casualties and disputed figures

In a statement, the ministry reported, “The death toll from Israeli aggression has reached 60,034 martyrs and 145,870 injuries.” The milestone of 50,000 deaths in Gaza was surpassed on March 23, 2025, a figure deemed credible by the United Nations despite repeated Israeli skepticism regarding the ministry's statistics.

Gaza faces famine and humanitarian crisis

An international organization supported by the UN warned on Tuesday that Gaza is enduring its "worst-case famine scenario." The combination of ongoing war, mass displacement, and restricted humanitarian aid has plunged the region into an unprecedented crisis.

Although Israel recently announced a partial pause in its bombing campaign, allowing limited humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, international agencies have deemed the assistance insufficient. Meanwhile, overnight airstrikes in the Nuseirat refugee camp reportedly killed 30 people, including 12 children, underscoring the fragile and desperate conditions in the territory.

At al-Awda hospital, scenes of grief are unrelenting as families mourn their loved ones, bodies wrapped in blankets or plastic, awaiting funeral prayers. According to a report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), more than 20,000 children were treated for acute malnutrition between April and mid-July. The report also noted the deaths of 16 children under five since July 17.

The World Food Programme compared the humanitarian disaster in Gaza to the famines in Ethiopia and Biafra in the 20th century, calling it a crisis “unlike anything seen in this century.”

Israel rejects ceasefire proposals

Israel has faced increasing international pressure to implement a ceasefire, but its government remains resolute. Despite announcing a “tactical pause” in hostilities from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in select areas for humanitarian aid, Israeli officials have dismissed calls for a full ceasefire.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stated, “Ceasing the war while Hamas remains in power in Gaza and still holds hostages would be a tragedy. It will not happen.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed these sentiments, denying allegations of a famine policy in Gaza and claiming, “There is no famine in Gaza.”

Global attention remains fixed on Gaza

As the conflict enters its 22nd month, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to escalate, drawing condemnation and calls for urgent international intervention. With tens of thousands dead and millions displaced, the region remains caught in a cycle of violence, hunger, and despair.