Gaza Death Toll Exceeds 75,000 in Latest Independent Data Verification

New Study Reveals Higher Death Toll in Gaza Conflict

A recent peer-reviewed study has found that official counts of deaths in the Gaza Strip during the conflict may represent a conservative estimate, with independent research suggesting over 75,000 “violent deaths” by early 2025. The study, published in The Lancet Global Health, used a population-representative household survey to estimate the number of violent deaths between October 7, 2023 and January 5, 2025.

The Gaza Mortality Survey found that approximately 3.4 percent of Gaza’s pre-conflict population of 2.2 million people had died violently during this period, which is 34.7 percent higher than the 49,090 “violent deaths” reported by the Gaza Ministry of Health (MoH) for the same period.

The study also found that 71,662 people have been killed since the start of the war, with 488 additional deaths reported since the ceasefire declaration on October 10, 2025. Researchers noted that while the demographic composition of casualties remains consistent with official Palestinian reporting, the higher figure suggests a significant undercount in MoH reporting.

The study’s lead author, Michael Spagat, stated that MoH reporting is reliable but inherently conservative due to the collapse of infrastructure required to document death. The research provides empirical evidence for a death toll exceeding 75,000 and quantifies “non-violent excess mortality” for the first time.

A separate commentary noted that the systematic destruction of hospitals and administrative centers has created challenges in analyzing the total death toll. Verification is further hindered by thousands of bodies still buried under rubble or mutilated beyond recognition.

The study’s findings have significant implications for understanding the human cost of the conflict, with survivors facing an unprecedented burden of complex injuries due to Gaza’s decimated healthcare system.

Source: Al Jazeera