Over 61,000 dead in Gaza as recovered bodies add to war toll

Gaza’s media office (GMO) has updated the death toll from Israel’s war on the battered Palestinian territory to include those whose bodies have been recovered since a ceasefire took effect on Sunday.

The enclave’s officials have now set the toll at 61,182 Palestinians killed or missing after thousands of bodies were recovered and later brought to hospitals, and after several remains were uncovered.

The media office said in a statement on Tuesday that in “470 days of genocide, the Israeli army committed 10,100 massacres, resulting in 61,182 martyrs and missing persons”.

They also said at least 2,092 Palestinian families have been officially wiped out from Gaza’s civil registry, with all members killed.

Some 4,889 Palestinian families were torn apart by Israel’s military onslaught, with only one or two surviving members, the GMO added.

At least 12,316 women were killed by Israel’s fierce bombardment, leaving countless children without their mothers and men without their wives.

Meanwhile, 38,495 Palestinian children are now living without one of their parents or both, prompting fears that Gaza’s youth will yet again experience unprecedented levels of mental and psychological trauma.

Among those who were killed during Israel’s 15-month-long war were at least 17,861 children, including 808 babies under the age of one.

Since 7 October 2023, at least 214 children were born and killed by the Israeli military in its deadliest campaign on Gaza, rendering much of the strip unhabitable.

Israeli forces target key professionals

The army struck a number of hospitals, ambulances and medical facilities, killing at least 1,155 medical staff, who worked tirelessly to assist those in Gaza. 94 civil defence personnel were also killed.

At least 205 journalists, photojournalists and cameramen were also killed, working for a wide range of networks, including Al Jazeera Arabic. Intentionally targeting journalists is widely regarded as a war crime internationally. Israel’s killing of journalists in Gaza also marked the deadliest period for journalists since 1992.

The war is currently paused after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect on Sunday, following months of unsuccessful negotiations.

The truce is undergoing its first phase, which will see the release of 33 Israeli captives and 737 Palestinian detainees held in Israeli jails.

So far, three female Israeli captives have been released, as well as 90 Palestinian children and women detainees, including prominent activist and MP Khalida Jarrar. Many had been imprisoned without charge or trial –  a common tactic used by Israeli authorities.

Should it be approved, phase two of the ceasefire will see the release of the remaining Israeli captives and the complete withdrawal of the Israeli forces from Gaza.

In addition to those killed, Israel’s war left 110,725 wounded, according to the Ministry of Health in the Strip.

The GMO said that 15,000 wounded need long-term rehabilitation, adding that the war resulted in 4,500 amputations being made, impacting at least 18 percent of children. Some 12,700 are in desperate need to be medical treatment abroad, specifically cancer patients. Small numbers of patients had been previously flown out to Egypt and Turkey for treatment during the war.

Forty-four Palestinians were killed due to malnutrition, food shortages and Israel’s starvation policy – considered a weapon of war -, while eight others, including seven children, were killed due to freezing conditions and inadequate shelter across Gaza’s tents for the displaced.

At least 3,500 children remain at risk of death due to malnutrition and food shortages, it added.

Impact of Israel’s war on education, heritage

The GMO also provided the number of government buildings, schools and universities destroyed or damaged by Israel’s war.

12,800 students were killed since October 7, 2023, and the military onslaught placed 785,000 students out of education.

Israel’s atrocities killed at least 760 teachers and teaching staff, as well as 150 academics, researchers and professors. Among the most high-profile cases of such was celebrated poet and academic Refaat Al-Areer, who was killed by an Israeli strike in December 2023.

Around 823 mosques and three churches were destroyed by Israeli fire, as well as 206 archaeological sites.

As the fourth day of the ceasefire holds, Palestinians continue to search for the remains of their loved ones.

More aid is expected to enter the Strip, providing some relief to the enclave’s devastated population. At least 2,400 aid trucks have entered Gaza since Sunday.