In a devastating new report, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz has estimated that nearly 100,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the Israeli military offensive began on 7 October 2023. The figure, based on both direct attacks and indirect consequences of the war, makes this the deadliest conflict of the 21st century.

According to Haaretz, the true toll far exceeds the official count of over 56,000 confirmed deaths announced by Gaza’s Health Ministry. Researchers cited by the newspaper argue that many fatalities have gone unrecorded, particularly in areas where entire neighbourhoods have been destroyed and no functioning medical or civil authorities remain. Deaths from disease, hunger, and the collapse of healthcare are included in the broader estimate.

The paper called the situation “a humanitarian catastrophe that exceeds all wars and armed conflicts in this century,” highlighting how food shortages, untreated injuries, and infectious disease have silently claimed tens of thousands more lives. Entire families have vanished, and communities have been erased with no one left to report their deaths.

Haaretz went further, describing the war as “one of the deadliest examples of genocide in modern times,” pointing to the overwhelming civilian toll and long-term destruction of Palestinian life in Gaza. International organisations, including the UN and WHO, have repeatedly warned of famine and medical collapse unless aid is allowed in. Meanwhile, Israel faces growing accusations of using starvation and siege as weapons of war against an already devastated population.