72,819 People in Gaza Have Died Since Israel's October 2023 Aggression, Another 172,894 Injured

The body of a Palestinian resident whose life was 'taken' in an Israeli military attack in Gaza is prayed for before being buried (doc. WAFA)

JAKARTA - A total of 72,819 people have died as of Thursday, May 28, 2026, since the Israeli military launched its invasion of Gaza, Palestine in October 2023.

The number of victims was conveyed by a medical source in Gaza to WAFA, quoted by AFP. The source said that the Israeli military aggression in Gaza also caused 172,894 people to be injured.

The high number of deaths and injuries included six bodies and 39 wounded who were treated in hospitals in the Gaza Strip in the last 48 hours.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas initiated by the US, Qatar, and Egypt has been in effect in Gaza since October 11, 2025.

However, instead of agreeing to it, Israel continued to commit violations and military attacks in Gaza, which claimed human lives.

Since the ceasefire, the medical source revealed, 922 Palestinians were killed, 2,786 were injured, and 781 bodies were found.

The same source said that it was strongly indicated that many civilian casualties were still under the rubble and on the streets of Gaza.

The evacuation process was stalled because the ambulance and rescue teams could not reach them due to the many obstacles from the Israeli side that restrained Gaza.

Yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered his military to take control of 70 percent of the Gaza Strip. This is a form of real opposition to the terms of the ceasefire that applies October 2025 and is 'locked' by the international community.

"Right now we are putting pressure on Hamas. We now control 60 percent of the territory in the Gaza Strip. You know, we previously controlled 50 percent, then increased to 60 percent. My instructions are to increase it to ... 70 percent," he said at a conference in a settlement in the occupied West Bank, according to a video broadcast by the Israeli Channel 12 network, Thursday, May 28.