This Isn't a Gentle War' Gaza Toll Confirmed by Retired Israeli Chief

A former Israeli army commander, Herzi Halevi, has confirmed that more than 200,000 Palestinians have been killed or injured in the war in Gaza, and that "not once" in the conflict were military operations inhibited by legal advice.

- Julian Borger

Halevi stepped down as chief of staff in March after leading the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for the first 17 months of the war.

The retired general told a community meeting in southern Israel earlier this week that over 10% of Gaza's 2.2 million population had been killed or injured in the conflict - "more than 200,000 people".

The estimate is notable as it is close to current figures provided by Gaza's health ministry, which Israeli officials have frequently dismissed as Hamas propaganda, though the ministry figures have been deemed reliable by international humanitarian agencies.

The current official toll is 64,718 Palestinians killed in Gaza and 163,859 injured, since the start of the war on 7 October 2023. Many thousands more are feared dead, with their bodies buried in the rubble. At least 40 people were reported killed yesterday in Israeli strikes, mostly around Gaza City.

The Gaza ministry statistics do not distinguish between civilians and fighters, but leaked Israeli military intelligence data on casualties until May this year, suggested that more than 80% of the dead were civilians.