Recently declassified Israeli military intelligence has revealed a staggering reality about the ongoing war in Gaza: the vast majority of Palestinians killed since October 2023 have been civilians, not militants, according to data reported by multiple news outlets including +972 Magazine, The Guardian, and Haaretz. The newly surfaced documents, confirmed by several investigations, show that about 83 percent of those killed in Gaza—roughly five out of every six people—were noncombatant civilians.
The numbers are as shocking as they are sobering. As of August 21, 2025, the total reported death toll in Gaza has surpassed 62,000, with the true figure believed to be even higher due to thousands more likely buried beneath the rubble of destroyed neighborhoods. Of this number, Israel has stated that it has killed or "probably killed" 8,900 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters, a figure that amounts to just 17 percent of the total deaths, according to the IDF’s own classified database cited by Haaretz and The Guardian.
While the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have not denied the existence of this database, they have publicly disputed the interpretation and accuracy of the civilian-to-combatant death ratio. In a statement to The Guardian, the IDF said, “The figures presented in the article are incorrect and do not reflect the data available in the IDF’s systems.” The military further argued that the claims “reflect a fundamental lack of military understanding,” but did not specify which numbers it objected to or directly address questions about the database itself.
Despite the IDF’s protestations, the investigations by +972 Magazine and Local Call—which relied on internal Israeli military intelligence—paint a clear picture. The data, as analyzed by journalists and external experts, indicate that the proportion of civilians among the dead is “extremely high for modern warfare.” Therese Pettersson, a researcher at the Uppsala Conflict Data Program, told The Guardian, “That proportion of civilians among those killed would be unusually high, particularly as it has been going on for such a long time. If you single out a particular city or battle in another conflict, you could find similar rates, but very rarely overall.”
To put these figures in context, Pettersson noted that, since 1989, civilians made up a greater proportion of the dead only in a handful of conflicts: the Srebrenica massacre, the Rwandan genocide, and the Russian siege of Mariupol in 2022. The Gaza conflict now stands alongside these tragedies in terms of civilian suffering.
The IDF’s last public statement on the death toll, issued on August 20, 2025, put the number of “terror operatives” killed at 22,000, a figure significantly higher than the 8,900 named fighters listed in the classified database. The discrepancy raises questions about how the military classifies combatants and civilians. According to one intelligence source who accompanied Israeli forces on the ground, “People are promoted to the rank of terrorist after their death.” The source added, “If I had listened to the brigade, I would have come to the conclusion that we had killed 200% of Hamas operatives in the area.”
This sentiment was echoed by retired Israeli general Itzhak Brik, a former adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and now one of his most vocal critics. Brik told The Guardian, “There is absolutely no connection between the numbers that are announced and what is actually happening. It is just one big bluff.” Brik’s comments highlight a growing skepticism within the Israeli military establishment about the official narrative regarding militant casualties.
The war, which began after the attacks of October 7, 2023, has not only resulted in a massive civilian death toll but has also devastated the already blockaded Gaza Strip. Nearly 20,000 of the Palestinians killed have been children, according to reports compiled by +972 Magazine. The enclave faces severe famine, and the humanitarian crisis has drawn international condemnation. Israel’s military campaign has included bombings, targeted killings, and what many describe as indiscriminate attacks on densely populated civilian areas. The Israeli government maintains that it is targeting militants, but the evidence suggests that civilian deaths have far outpaced those of combatants.
International legal bodies have taken notice. In November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Meanwhile, Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice, further amplifying global scrutiny of its actions.
For its part, the IDF has repeatedly acknowledged that, throughout the war, its attacks have killed about two civilians for every militant slain—a ratio it claims is consistent with its intelligence assessments. However, the newly revealed data shows an even more lopsided reality. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its reporting, has also placed the death toll above 62,000.
The Israeli military’s database names a total of 47,653 Palestinians considered active in the military wings of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, as per records seized in Gaza. Yet, less than 20 percent of those fighters had been confirmed killed by the IDF after 18 months of war. Intelligence sources argue the real number of dead militants is higher, as the database does not include those killed but not identified by name, nor does it account for unaffiliated fighters or those not in the military wing at the time of death.
The ongoing conflict is now approaching its third year, with no end in sight. Prime Minister Netanyahu has publicly stated that the war will continue until Hamas is eradicated and the remaining 50 hostages are freed. The IDF is reportedly planning to escalate the fighting by invading Gaza City, despite mounting international backlash over the civilian death toll and the worsening humanitarian crisis.
As the war drags on, the gap between official Israeli statements and independent investigations continues to widen. The revelations from Israeli military intelligence have intensified calls for accountability and a reassessment of the conduct of war in Gaza. For the families of the tens of thousands of civilians killed, these numbers are more than statistics—they represent an ongoing tragedy that has yet to see resolution or justice.
