An independent statistical survey has estimated that around 84,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip over a 15-month period, marking one of the deadliest episodes of violence in recent history. Conducted in collaboration with the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research and published on medRxiv, the study paints a devastating picture of the human toll of Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza.

More than half of the victims were women, children, or elderly people. The estimate includes roughly 75,200 violent deaths and 8,540 non-violent fatalities linked to hunger, disease, or the collapse of healthcare services. Crucially, the researchers did not rely on official data from the Gaza Health Ministry, whose reports, though detailed, only account for those who reach hospitals. Thousands remain buried beneath rubble, unreachable.

The survey, conducted through random sampling across displaced communities and temporary shelters, excluded areas like northern Gaza, Gaza City, and Rafah due to continued Israeli bombardment and evacuations. Yet many residents from these zones had already fled and were included in the data collection.

Despite being completed six months ago, experts stress that the findings remain urgent and deeply relevant. As U.S.-backed Israeli assaults persist, the death toll continues to rise, exposing not only the scale of the violence but also the global community’s failure to halt a war that has shattered the very fabric of Palestinian life.