Israel accepts health authorities' Gaza death toll is broadly accurate, saying 70,000 have died

"A senior security official briefed Israeli journalists, saying about 70,000 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli attacks on the territory since October 2023, excluding those missing. It is the first time Israel has publicly estimated the toll from the war in Gaza. Previously the government and military had only provided figures for militants Israel claimed to have killed. Gaza health authorities said the direct toll from Israeli attacks had exceeded 71,660 people, with at least 10,000 presumed buried in the rubble of bombed buildings."

"For more than two years, Israeli officials and media had attacked the Palestinian figures as Hamas propaganda and dismissed them as not accurate. The abrupt shift in stance raises broader questions about Israel's defence of its campaign in Gaza. A UN commission, rights groups and scholars have accused Israel of committing genocide in the territory. map of deaths What other accusations could turn out to be true? the Israeli newspaper Haaretz said after the briefing."

Israel's military has accepted that the death toll compiled by Gaza health authorities is broadly accurate, estimating about 70,000 Palestinians killed by Israeli attacks since October 2023, excluding the missing. Gaza health authorities reported over 71,660 deaths and at least 10,000 presumed buried in rubble. For years Israeli officials and media dismissed Palestinian figures as Hamas propaganda. The military had previously reported 22,000 militants killed, implying more than two-thirds of the dead were non-combatants. A classified military database indicated an 83% civilian toll, while the prime minister had cited 50%. The shift in stance raises scrutiny of civilian casualties and official credibility.

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