Three Years of Gaza Conflict: The Numbers That Speak
Theo Al Jazeera English (Marium Ali, AJLabs)
Three years after Israel launched its large-scale military campaign, Gaza has suffered catastrophic losses: at least 74,000 Palestinians killed and more than 175,000 wounded. The healthcare and education systems have collapsed, 82 percent of buildings are destroyed, and 90 percent of the population has been displaced. A ceasefire in place since October 2025 has been repeatedly violated, with more than 1,000 killed since it took effect.
Three years have passed since Israel launched a large-scale military campaign against Gaza.
The campaign began on October 7, 2023, after the armed wing of Hamas — the Qassam Brigades — along with other Palestinian armed groups attacked southern Israel, killing 1,139 people and taking some 240 hostages.
Israel responded with intense airstrikes and turned a 16-year blockade into a total siege. A ceasefire took effect on October 10, 2025, but attacks and casualties have continued.
Here is the current situation, in numbers.
1 in 30 Gaza residents killed
Three years of conflict have killed at least 74,000 Palestinians, including at least 21,000 children. That figure is equivalent to about 1 in 30 residents, or 3 percent of the pre-conflict population. The Palestinian Health Ministry counts only deaths recorded in hospitals or officially registered, so the true toll is likely far higher — not counting the thousands who remain missing or buried under the rubble.
1 in 13 Gaza residents wounded
The human toll does not end with the dead. More than 175,000 people have been wounded, equivalent to about 1 in 13 of Gaza's population. According to a conservative estimate by the World Health Organization (WHO), about 24 percent of the wounded require long-term rehabilitation, a quarter of them children. The few remaining health facilities in Gaza are overwhelmed and operating at minimal capacity with depleted supplies.
A ceasefire in name only
Since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, 2025, Israel has repeatedly violated it with near-daily attacks, killing more than 1,000 people. An Al Jazeera analysis found that Israel attacked Gaza on 325 of the past 361 days, with only 36 days recording no attacks or casualties. Despite the continued strikes, the United States maintains that the ceasefire is holding.
Israel continues to kill Palestinians
According to the latest figures from the Palestinian Health Ministry, since the ceasefire took effect at midday on October 10, Israel has killed at least 1,460 Palestinians and wounded 5,116 others.
94 percent of hospitals and clinics damaged
Israel has attacked nearly every hospital and health facility in Gaza. After three years, 94 percent of them are fully or partially out of service, leaving patients without essential care, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Only 42 of 666 facilities are still functioning.
Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, hospitals must not be targets of attack; international humanitarian law grants special protection to medical units and personnel. Under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, intentionally attacking a hospital is a war crime.
91 percent of Gaza households face water insecurity
Since October 2023, Israel has systematically attacked Gaza's already fragile water infrastructure, destroying wells, pipes, desalination plants, and sewage systems. UN experts say most of the water and sanitation network has been damaged or destroyed. Local authorities report burst pipes and wells, sewage contamination, or cuts caused by fighting and displacement.
Nearly half of Gaza's population now lives on less than 6 liters of water per day for both drinking and cooking, while the emergency minimum for short-term survival is 20 liters.
Nearly all homes destroyed or damaged
The scale of destruction across Gaza is almost total, with 82 percent of buildings destroyed. According to OCHA, many residential areas have been completely wiped out, displacing 1.98 million Palestinians — 90 percent of the population. Recently updated Google Maps satellite imagery shows the scale of devastation across the besieged Gaza Strip after nearly three years of conflict.
93 percent of schools need rebuilding
Gaza's education system has collapsed. About 93 percent of schools need to be completely rebuilt, according to OCHA, leaving more than 700,000 students without access to formal education. At least 63 university buildings have been destroyed; those still standing are being used as shelters for displaced people.
The most dangerous place for journalists
Nearly 300 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza since October 7, including 12 from Al Jazeera, according to the Shireen Abu Akleh Observatory.
Al Jazeera staff killed in Israeli attacks include: Samer Abudaqa, Hamza Dahdouh, Ismail al-Ghoul, Ahmed al-Louh, Hossam Shabat, Ibrahim Thaher, Mohammed Qreiqeh, Mohammed Nofal, Anas al-Sharif, Mohammed Salama, Mohammed Wishah, and Ahmed Wishah.
Israel bans foreign media from entering Gaza, except for a handful of journalists embedded with the military under strict military censorship.
