Monday marks one year since the Israel-Hamas war began, the deadliest in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Since Hamas launched its surprise terrorist attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and Israel responded by declaring war, thousands have reportedly been killed or injured. Israel has said its goal is to destroy Hamas and that it attempts to minimize civilian casualties as often as possible.
Meanwhile, a humanitarian crisis has unfolded in Gaza, including the collapse of the health care system. The strip is seeing shortages of food, clean water and medicine, and famine is said to be spreading throughout Gaza, according to the United Nations (U.N.).
People visit the site of the Nova music festival on the one-year anniversary of the attack, near Kibbutz Reim, southern Israel, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024.
AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg
Tune into News Live at 4 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 7, for “Oct 7th: Race to Survive” – special coverage of the anniversary of the conflict. Veteran correspondent Matt Gutman highlights voices of Israelis and Palestinians impacted by the war and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Here is a look at the tragic human toll of the war over the past year, by the numbers.
Deaths and injuries
In Israel, about 1,200 people have been killed, including about 800 civilians, 346 Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers and 66 police officers, according to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Most of the 1,200 were killed during Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7. Additionally, about 8,700 people have been injured, Israeli officials said.
RELATED: Monday marks 1 year since Oct. 7 attack on Israelis that sparked the Israel-Hamas war
In Gaza, more than 41,000 people have been killed and more than 96,700 people have been injured as of Oct. 3, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.
At least 10,000 people are feared to be buried under the rubble in Gaza, according to the U.N., meaning the true death toll could be much higher.
Israeli hostages
When Hamas launched its terrorist attack, militants kidnapped nearly 250 hostages — including women, children and elderly adults — and took them into Gaza.
As of Oct. 3, 112 hostages have come out of Gaza alive, having been swapped for prisoners being held in Israel, Israeli officials said. The largest hostage release came on Nov. 24. 2023, during a pause in fighting.
About 97 hostages remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 33 people no longer believed to be alive, according to Israeli officials.
The IDF has so far recovered the remains of 37 hostages inside Gaza, most recently finding six bodies in Rafah at the beginning of September.
Collapse of health care system
Prior to the war, 36 hospitals were functioning in Gaza, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
As of Aug. 30., 19 hospitals have stopped functioning and the remaining 17 are partially functioning, the WHO said. There are currently no fully functioning hospitals, according to the global health agency.
Aid agencies have said their medical staffs have been detained and have come under attack, forcing them to evacuate facilities, which causes civilians to lose access to life-saving medical care.
“Our teams have been forced to perform surgeries without anesthesia, witness children die on hospital floors due to a lack of resources, and even treat their own colleagues and family members,” Dr. Amber Alayyan, a medical program manager for Médecins sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders) said in a statement earlier this month. “Meanwhile, the health care system in Gaza has been systematically dismantled by Israeli forces.”
Israel has claimed that Hamas uses hospitals to “conduct and promote” terrorist activity. Hamas has denied claims it is operating from within hospitals.
Aid into Gaza
Since the beginning of the war, more than 1 million tons of aid have entered Gaza, of which 70% was food, Israel’s Civil Department of the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories said in a post on the social platform X on Sept. 30.
On Oct. 2, Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, said more than 100,000 metric tons of food supplies are stranded outside Gaza due to access restrictions as well as the breakdown of law and order.
U.N. experts said that famine has spread throughout the Gaza Strip but Israel denies claims that famine exists in Gaza.
The U.N. also says Gazans are living in “abysmal” conditions and that providing humanitarian aid continues to be a challenge.
During a press briefing last month, Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the U.N. Secretary-General said nearly 90% of “coordinated humanitarian response movements between northern and southern Gaza so far in September have been either denied or impeded.”
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