Gaza’s media office said on Monday that the number of Palestinians killed by Israel in Gaza since October 2023 has reached 61,709, a figure that factors in people missing and presumed dead under the rubble or in areas where rescuers are still unable to access.
Salama Maarouf, head of the media office, told reporters that 76% of the bodies of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces have been recovered and arrived at hospitals, and at least 14,222 are missing.
Maarouf said among the dead are 17,881 children, including 214 newborn infants. He also said the US-backed Israeli onslaught killed 1,155 medical workers, 205 journalists, and 194 civil defense workers.
The media office’s number doesn’t factor in indirect deaths caused by the Israeli siege, which could bring the death toll into the hundreds of thousands.
Gaza’s Health Ministry continues to count the number of bodies being discovered and said on Monday that 20 were brought to hospitals in the previous 24-hour period. “There are still a number of victims under the rubble and on the streets, and ambulance and civil defense crews cannot reach them,” the ministry said.
The ministry said that out of the 20 bodies, 18 were recovered from the rubble, one died of previously sustained wounds, and one had been killed by Israeli forces in the past day. More than 80 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since the ceasefire went into effect on January 19.
The genocidal war in Gaza could restart soon as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking President Trump’s support not to implement the second phase of the ceasefire deal.
