The IDF pushed back Friday against reports that it had adopted casualty figures provided by Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry, saying the widely cited number of 70,000 Palestinians killed in the war is not based on official Israeli data.
The statement follows confusion sparked earlier in the week when senior Israeli defense officials, speaking to local media, appeared to endorse the Palestinian death toll. “We estimate that around 70,000 Gazans have been killed in the war, not including the missing,” officials were quoted as saying. They added that the IDF was in the process of distinguishing between terrorists and non-combatants in its accounting.
For much of the two-year war, Israeli authorities have rejected the casualty numbers published by Gaza’s Health Ministry, which is operated by Hamas officials. However, the remarks by unnamed military sources Thursday raised eyebrows, appearing to mark a shift in the IDF’s position.
Responding to the growing controversy, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, the IDF’s international spokesperson, cited a post by British journalist Piers Morgan criticizing the apparent about-face. Shoshani wrote on X that “the details published do not reflect official IDF data. Any publication or report on this matter will be released through official and orderly channels.”
As of its latest update, the Gaza Health Ministry reports that 71,667 people have been killed in the enclave since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack sparked the war. It also says around 171,000 people have been wounded. The ministry notes that these figures do not include those still missing and believed to be buried under rubble.
Israel has long accused Hamas of inflating or manipulating casualty data and of failing to distinguish between terrorists and civilians. While many international organizations, including the United Nations and human rights groups, cite the Gaza Health Ministry’s figures, Israel remains skeptical of their accuracy.
The IDF is currently working to establish its own verified casualty data, including a breakdown between Hamas and other terrorist operatives and uninvolved Palestinian civilians. That analysis, military officials say, is still ongoing and no official number has yet been released.