More than 900 killed in Gaza this year despite ceasefire, Hamas-run health ministry says

ByEmma Pengelly and Richard Irvine-Brown, BBC Verify.

Key points

• Professor Michael Spagat from Royal Holloway, University of London, is the chair of Every Casualty Counts, a charity that studies death tolls in wars.
• Acled remarked this includes commanders involved in planning the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 attack on Israel.
• The IDF remarked it was targeting a "significant military operative" of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group who was involved in the 7 October 2023 attacks.
• At the start of this year Israeli media documented that an Israeli security official acknowledged more than 70, 000 residents had been killed in the Gaza war.
• Hugh Lovatt, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank, remarked "Gaza has seen a ceasefire in name only" since last October.

More than 900 individuals have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza this year despite the ceasefire, according to latest figures from the territory's Hamas-run Ministry of Health.

It brings the total number of individuals killed in the Strip since the 10 October ceasefire was declared to more than 1, 300, including 301 children, the ministry states.

Hamas and Israel agreed to halt the war after accepting US President Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan. That plan included a suspension of "all military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment".

Since then, BBC Verify has analysed dozens of videos which show the impact of Israeli strikes on locations including a beachside cafe, tents where displaced individuals have been sheltering, and a noted funeral procession in central Gaza.

Recent months have been some of the most deadly according to the figures, with more than 100 individuals recorded killed each month between April and August.

In practice, the health ministry attributes the deaths directly to Israeli military action, but does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Meanwhile, the UN considers the figures reliable, and experts have informed BBC Verify that their independent analysis is consistent with the ministry's data.

Notably, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) disputes the ministry's figures. It informed BBC Verify there is "no basis to assume" that all those listed were killed as of IDF activity.

It remarked it operates in "a precise manner to remove threats and protect its troops and Israeli civilians, in accordance with the agreement", and that it works to mitigate any civilian harm "to the greatest extent possible".

At the start of this year Israeli media documented that an Israeli security official acknowledged more than 70, 000 residents had been killed in the Gaza war. It it noted included more than 20, 000 combatants. 'Ceasefire in name only'.

From the start of the ceasefire agreement on 10 October to the end of that month, the ministry recorded 251 deaths. Since then the deadly Israeli attacks have continued every month. When 152 individuals were killed including 21 children, according to the figures, the highest monthly death toll this year was recorded in July.

In practice, the IDF notes five of its soldiers have been killed in combat since the ceasefire and one contractor was killed in an "operational accident".

It additionally states it has killed hundreds of military operatives since October.

Conflict monitoring group Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (Acled). It uses official statements, media reports and social media to verify attacks, notes it has recorded around 200 Israeli strikes during the ceasefire that have reportedly killed Hamas operatives or other armed "militants" in targeted strikes.

Acled remarked this includes commanders involved in planning the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 attack on Israel. It triggered the war and killed around 1, 200 residents with 251 taken hostage.

Hugh Lovatt, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank, remarked "Gaza has seen a ceasefire in name only" since last October. He remarked the Israeli military has continued its almost daily air and drone strikes, and "though it claims to be targeting Hamas or imminent threats, it is Gaza's civilians that have continued to bear the brunt".

This could now be a "central stumbling block" in international efforts to implement Trump's ceasefire accord, he went on.

In practice, the IDF informed BBC Verify it "remains committed" to the ceasefire agreement and that there have been "continued violations and threats posed by Hamas and other terror organizations" in Gaza. Summer of deadly incidents.

Warning: The after segment of this story contains graphic content which some readers might find distressing.

BBC Verify has analysed dozens of videos of attacks in Gaza carried out since the ceasefire.

In one, emergency services are seen attending to individuals in the aftermath of a strike at a beachside cafe in Gaza City on 18 August, where six residents were killed, according to the health ministry. The next day nine individuals, including a 13-year-old, were reportedly killed in a strike on a police headquarters in the al-Tuffah neighbourhood.

Meanwhile, the IDF remarked it was targeting Hamas commanders and terrorists in the two incidents and that "steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians".

One of the deadliest single incidents in July was a strike on a documented funeral procession in Nuseirat. Seven individuals were killed and 22 injured, according to the Al-Awda Hospital where casualties were taken. A number of verified images show nine residents covered in blood lying on the street. Two individuals appear to still be alive and are being treated by bystanders.

In practice, the IDF remarked it was targeting a "significant military operative" of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group who was involved in the 7 October 2023 attacks.

In a strike on an apartment block on the western edge of Gaza City overnight on 1 August, a pregnant woman, her husband and their young son were killed, according to local reports. Verified footage indicated the body of an unborn baby in the rubble.

For context, a man searching the ruins remarked he had heard a strike overnight and saw smoke coming from the building. "I broke the door and went up and I found dead bodies scattered, " he remarked. The IDF remarked it had targeted an acting Hamas commander. Child deaths 'absurd and devastating'.

UN agency Unicef has additionally noted more than 300 children have been killed since the ceasefire. The aid organisation has been tracking all available reports of incidents affecting children in Gaza, including via UN personnel on the ground.

James Elder, Unicef global spokesperson, remarked the number of child deaths was "absurd and devastating".

He continued that hundreds more have been injured. "A ceasefire that paints such a grim picture can only be failing children."

Unicef and other humanitarian organisations operating inside Gaza have additionally noted Israeli strikes on their workers since the ceasefire. This includes two water truck drivers contracted by Unicef killed in April by Israeli fire at the Mansoura water filling point in northern Gaza.

Meanwhile, the IDF remarked its soldiers "identified suspects approaching" the Yellow Line area during the incident. This person were afterwards identified as UN contractors who had not "coordinated in advance". Unicef remarked the drivers were carrying out routine water trucking operations with "no changes in movement or procedures".

Aid Worker Security Database, whose figures have been cited by the UN and UK administration, informed BBC Verify it has recorded 22 aid workers killed in Gaza since 10 October 2025.

Independent research group Airwars works to identify civilian deaths from a range of open sources including news agencies, NGOs and social media, matching names it finds to those published by the health ministry.

Director Emily Tripp informed BBC Verify the ministry's data on death tolls is consistent with its own tracking and research, and that it recorded more than 60 deadly incidents in July.

"This is the highest number of fatal incidents we've seen in a month since the ceasefire, " Tripp remarked. "Our own findings point to an increasing number of civilian harm incidents a month." How the dead are counted in Gaza.

Professor Michael Spagat from Royal Holloway, University of London, is the chair of Every Casualty Counts, a charity that studies death tolls in wars. He informed BBC Verify that the figures recorded by the health ministry are "testable" as it publishes names, ages and ID numbers of the dead.

He remarked that since April, the monthly death toll in Gaza has been roughly double what was seen in December. "July was the worst month but even August's lower toll is still high compared with the November to March period, " he continued. Extra reporting Paul Brown, Benedict Garman and Lamees Altalebi. What do you want BBC Verify to investigate?

For now, more than 900 killed in Gaza this year despite ceasefire, Hamas remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.