Palestinian death toll in Gaza tops 73,000 as Israel strikes despite ceasefire

The Palestinian death toll in Gaza has surpassed 73,000, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, as Israel continues to conduct strikes within the territory. The ministry confirmed 73,001 deaths, noting that women and children make up roughly half of all fatalities. While the ministry, part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed records considered reliable by UN agencies, it does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

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The number of deaths since the beginning of the war is now 73,001.

Israel maintains it aims to avoid civilian casualties and attributes deaths to Hamas's alleged use of densely populated areas for militant operations. The conflict, ignited by Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on Israel that killed approximately 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, has resulted in over 173,200 wounded Palestinians.

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women and children make up around half of all fatalities.

A U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal from October has largely stalled. While it ended full-scale military operations and secured the return of some hostages, other aspects, including reconstruction and Israeli troop withdrawals, remain in deadlock. Hamas has reportedly refused to disarm, and both parties accuse each other of violating the agreement, which they claim is still in effect. The war has displaced over 2 million Palestinians, devastated much of the territory, and created severe shortages of essential supplies.

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Israel says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames their deaths on Hamas because the militants operate in densely populated areas.