In the battered landscape of Gaza and the tense fields of the West Bank, the latest phase of the Israel-Hamas conflict has left a staggering toll on human life and spirit. As of November 10, 2025, medical sources in Gaza and health officials have confirmed that the number of Palestinians killed since October 7, 2023, has reached at least 69,179, with the overwhelming majority being women and children. The number of wounded stands at 170,693, and thousands more remain trapped beneath the rubble of destroyed neighborhoods—an agonizing uncertainty for countless families, according to reports from Al Jazeera and the Associated Press.
The grim tally continues to climb, even in the wake of a ceasefire agreement announced on October 11, 2025. Despite hopes for respite, the ceasefire has been repeatedly violated, with Israeli forces conducting drone strikes, artillery shelling, and targeted demolitions across the Gaza Strip. In the 24 hours before November 10, Gaza hospitals received the bodies of three more Palestinians: one newly killed, one recovered from beneath collapsed buildings, and one who succumbed to earlier injuries. These deaths underscore the fragility of the ceasefire and the ongoing dangers faced by civilians, rescue workers, and medical teams alike.
Since the ceasefire took effect, the violence has not abated. According to Al Jazeera, 242 Palestinians have been killed, 622 injured, and 529 bodies recovered—many from mass graves or the ruins of homes. The targeting of civilians, including children, has continued unabated. One particularly harrowing incident occurred in Bani Suheila, east of Khan Younis, where a drone strike killed a child and another civilian on Monday afternoon. Forensic teams have reported signs of torture, execution-style injuries, and organ removal on several recovered bodies, prompting urgent calls for international investigations and accountability.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is nothing short of catastrophic. The health system is collapsing under the weight of siege and fuel shortages, and civil defense teams are overwhelmed and woefully under-equipped. Human rights organizations and United Nations agencies have warned that the scale of destruction, obstruction of rescue efforts, and deliberate targeting of civilians constitute grave violations of international law, including the Genocide Convention and the Geneva Conventions. As one report put it, "This genocide is not only measured in numbers—it is etched into the lives of survivors, the ruins of homes, and the silenced voices of tens of thousands buried beneath the rubble."
Amid this devastation, the exchange of bodies has become a somber routine. On November 10, Israeli authorities returned 15 bodies of slain Palestinians via the International Committee of the Red Cross, bringing the total number of bodies handed over to 315. The Associated Press reported that the remains of 300 Palestinians have now been returned, with only 89 identified so far. Ahmed Dheir, director of forensic medicine at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, explained, "We do not have sufficient resources or the DNA to match them with the martyrs’ families." As a result, unidentified bodies will be buried in batches, leaving many families in a painful state of limbo.
The pain of waiting is palpable. Families gather at hospitals, hoping for news of missing loved ones. One mother, speaking to the Associated Press, said simply, "I always come here. I have not lost hope. I am still waiting for him." The process of identification is slow and often inconclusive, with relatives sometimes left to peer into body bags of decomposed remains, searching for closure that remains elusive.
On the Israeli side, the return of hostage remains has also been a deeply emotional and fraught process. The remains of 19-year-old Itay Chen, the last American hostage held in Gaza, were returned to his family last week after nearly two years of conflict. Chen, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen serving in the Israeli military, is believed to have died on October 7, 2023, during the Hamas-led incursion into southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. The Chen family, like many others, became tireless advocates for the release of all hostages, both living and deceased, as the war dragged on.
Ruby Chen, Itay’s father, described the last two weeks as "sheer hell" as the final remains have slowly been returned. "Now, we kind of need to learn to walk again, walking in a different way," he told NewsNation. "It’s needing to put one step after the other and understanding how to…get back into the living." The U.S.-brokered ceasefire has seen the release of the remaining 20 living hostages, but as of November 9, the remains of four deceased hostages had yet to be recovered from Gaza. Ruby Chen emphasized the families’ commitment: "It’s an obligation that all the families took upon themselves when this happened Oct. 7. We said, ‘All for one and one for all.’"
Meanwhile, violence has also surged in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli settlers have staged attacks on Palestinian farmers and others during the annual olive harvest. The Associated Press documented two such attacks around November 9, injuring at least 11 people, including journalists, medics, and international activists. The United Nations humanitarian office reported more than 260 settler attacks in October alone—the highest number since tracking began in 2006. Rights groups have long criticized the lack of accountability for settler violence, noting that arrests and prosecutions are exceedingly rare. As Israel’s left-leaning Haaretz newspaper reported in 2022, only 3.8% of such cases result in charges, with most closed without action.
The Israeli military acknowledged that it had dispersed confrontations between Israeli civilians and Palestinians during an "uncoordinated olive harvest in an area that requires prior coordination," confirming that several Palestinians had been injured. In a separate incident in the village of Burin, the Palestinian Red Crescent reported that settlers injured four international activists and a 57-year-old man. The military said soldiers responded to reports of rock-throwing at an Israeli vehicle and that Israeli civilians then hurled rocks at harvesters, resulting in injuries on both sides.
As the ceasefire remains precarious and humanitarian needs mount, the international community faces mounting pressure to address the ongoing violence, ensure accountability for grave violations, and support the recovery of both the living and the dead. The war’s legacy is not only measured in casualties, but in the enduring trauma, the shattered families, and the unresolved search for justice and peace across the region.
