Death Toll in Gaza Passes 70,000 as Recovery Teams Uncover More Bodies

Death Toll in Gaza Passes 70,000 as Recovery Teams Uncover More Bodies
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A Gaza health ministry statement on Saturday raised the confirmed death toll from Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip to 70,100 — an increase of 301 since Thursday, Reuters reported. The update noted that two deaths were recorded from recent airstrikes, while the remainder involved identification of remains that had been buried in rubble for some time.

There has been no immediate response from the Israeli government, which has previously questioned the accuracy of Gaza’s figures but has not released its own comprehensive count. The challenge of verifying casualties has been compounded by the widespread destruction across Gaza, complicating efforts to locate and identify victims.

In the war’s early months, Gaza authorities tallied casualties based on bodies brought to hospitals, registering names and identity numbers. As the conflict continued, thousands of reports awaited forensic, medical, and legal confirmation. Since a fragile ceasefire took effect on October 10, searches intensified under calmer conditions, leading to repeated upward revisions of the death toll.