More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military action since a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas came into effect in October 2025, according to figures from Gaza’s Health Ministry, exposing a widening gap between the diplomatic language of a “ceasefire” and the reality experienced by civilians on the ground .
The latest tally, reported this week, puts the number of Palestinians killed since the truce began at 1,005, with deaths attributed to Israeli airstrikes, shelling, drone attacks and gunfire that have continued almost daily across the Gaza Strip . The milestone has reignited questions about whether the agreement can still credibly be described as a ceasefire at all.
While the October 2025 agreement ended full-scale offensive operations and secured the return of remaining Israeli hostages, key political and military disputes were left unresolved. The Government Media Office in Gaza has documented a staggering 3,269 Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement during the 245 days since it took effect . Israel has continued military operations against what it describes as Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets, while Hamas and Palestinian officials accuse Israel of systematically violating the terms of the truce.
Death Toll Climbs Despite Truce
The figure of more than 1,000 deaths did not emerge suddenly. It has risen steadily throughout the months following the ceasefire announcement.
By January, humanitarian organizations reported hundreds of Palestinians had already been killed after the truce came into force. Relief agencies recorded approximately 477 deaths during the first three months alone. By April, the number had reached more than 700. In early June, the toll approached 1,000. Now, according to the latest figures, the number has surpassed four digits .
A Ceasefire That Never Fully Stopped the Fighting
The ceasefire agreement brokered in October 2025 was intended to halt major combat operations and establish a pathway toward a more permanent settlement.
Instead, negotiations quickly became deadlocked. As talks stalled, military activity continued and Israeli forces have systematically expanded their control over Gaza. In late May, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated, “We are now in 60 percent of the territory of the Gaza Strip. We were at 50 percent. We moved to 60 percent. My directive is to move to—take it step by step—first of all 70” . At the start of the truce, Israeli forces were in roughly 53 percent of the territory, meaning an additional 7% has been seized since the agreement was signed, effectively confining over two million Palestinians to a shrinking fraction of the enclave .
Residents describe an environment in which drone strikes, artillery fire and military incursions remain commonplace despite the existence of a ceasefire agreement. The result has been what many Palestinians describe as a war that never truly ended.
Civilians Continue to Bear the Cost
The continuing fatalities have deepened Gaza’s already catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Most of Gaza’s population remains displaced, with many families living in tents, damaged buildings or makeshift shelters.
International aid organizations warn that the situation is deteriorating even in the absence of the large-scale ground offensives that characterized earlier stages of the conflict. The Government Media Office reports that only 52,740 trucks of aid have entered the Gaza Strip out of the 147,000 that were supposed to, representing a compliance rate of just 36 percent .
The International Committee of the Red Cross has warned that thousands of people believed to be buried beneath Gaza’s rubble may never be identified because recovery efforts are progressing so slowly. Between 10,000 and 14,000 bodies are thought to remain trapped under collapsed buildings and debris . Rescue teams have largely relied on basic tools, including shovels and their bare hands, as repeated requests to allow the entry of excavators and other heavy machinery have not received approval . Pat Griffiths, an ICRC spokesperson, underscored the gravity of the situation: “We see the scale of the task and we see what’s at stake. Thousands of families are still seeking answers in this way. That’s what’s at stake: their right to know the fate of those they love” .
Disputed Numbers, Broad Acceptance
Israel frequently disputes Palestinian casualty reporting and argues that many of those killed are militants. However, the casualty figures produced by Gaza’s Health Ministry continue to be relied upon by the United Nations, the World Health Organization, major humanitarian agencies and international media organizations. Independent academic studies have generally concluded that the ministry’s figures are credible and may, in some periods, have undercounted the true death toll .
The Wider War’s Human Cost
The deaths recorded since the ceasefire form part of a much larger catastrophe. According to Gaza health authorities, more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began in October 2023, with more than 173,000 wounded . The conflict was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed approximately 1,200 people and resulted in the capture of 251 hostages .
What makes the latest milestone particularly significant is that it occurred during a period officially described as a ceasefire. The continued rise in fatalities highlights a central contradiction of the current phase of the conflict: while diplomats continue to refer to a truce, Palestinians in Gaza continue to die at a rate that would constitute a major conflict in almost any other context. For many Gazans, the distinction between war and ceasefire has become increasingly difficult to see. The official ceasefire remains in force. The killing, however, has not stopped.
