Casualties Mount in Gaza as Fragile Ceasefire Falters
GAZA — Months after the implementation of the October 10, 2025, ceasefire agreement, reports emerging from the Gaza Strip indicate that the region remains volatile, with significant casualties recorded despite the official cessation of hostilities. According to the latest data, 601 Palestinians have been killed and 1,607 injured since the truce began, raising serious concerns regarding the stability of the agreement.
The conflict, which escalated sharply in October 2023, has resulted in a cumulative death toll of 72,061 Palestinians, with 171,715 reported injured over the course of the war. In the period following the October 2025 ceasefire, emergency teams and civil defense units have retrieved 726 bodies from the rubble of destroyed infrastructure, a figure expected to rise as recovery operations access previously unreachable areas.
Critics and local officials have characterized the continued violence as a systematic failure of the peace process, with some advocacy groups accusing Israeli forces of perpetuating a “genocide” despite the diplomatic breakthrough. They argue that the ongoing strikes and shelling undermine the safety guarantees promised to the civilian population during the negotiation phase.
However, Israeli officials have strongly objected to these characterizations. Defense spokespersons maintain that the Israeli military strictly adheres to international law and that recent engagements have been necessary responses to localized violations of the ceasefire by militant factions. Israel asserts that its operations are surgical, aimed at preventing the regrouping of combatants, and argues that casualty figures released by authorities in Gaza do not distinguish between civilians and active combatants.
As the recovery of bodies continues and sporadic violence persists, international observers fear that the mounting toll could lead to a total collapse of the October accord, further deepening the humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
