More than 900 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since the start of this year despite the ceasefire, according to figures from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
More than 900 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza this year alone, according to the territory’s health ministry. Since the ceasefire was declared last October, the total death toll has climbed past 1,300, including over 300 children.
The ceasefire was meant to suspend all military operations. Yet, recent months have been among the deadliest. In July, 152 people were killed in a single month.
BBC Verify has analyzed dozens of videos showing the harsh reality on the ground. Strikes have hit a beachside cafe, tents sheltering displaced families, and even a funeral procession.
In one incident in August, a strike on an apartment block left a pregnant woman, her husband, and their young son dead. A man searching the rubble described hearing the explosion and finding bodies scattered inside. The military stated it was targeting an acting Hamas commander and took steps to avoid civilian harm.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) disputes the health ministry’s overall figures. They argue there is “no basis to assume” all those listed were killed by their actions, stating they operate precisely to remove threats and have killed hundreds of militants since the truce began.
But independent experts and the United Nations say the data is reliable.
James Elder, a spokesperson for UNICEF, called the number of child deaths “absurd and devastating.” He noted that hundreds more children have been injured, adding that a ceasefire painting such a grim picture is clearly failing the most vulnerable.
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The danger has also reached those trying to help. Aid organizations report that 22 aid workers have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire began, including two water truck drivers contracted by UNICEF who were shot in April. The military claimed the soldiers identified suspects approaching a restricted area, while UNICEF insisted the drivers were following routine procedures.
Hugh Lovatt, a policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, described the situation as a “ceasefire in name only.” He warned that the daily strikes are becoming a major stumbling block for any lasting peace.
The agreements may be signed, and the diplomatic language may be polished. But on the ground, the rubble is still fresh, and the warning sirens still ring. For the families left behind, the war has not ended. It has just changed its shape.
Promise Idoko is Junior Reporter working with moderncrux He covers global politics and international affairs. Based in Nigeria,
