More than 900 killed in Gaza this year despite ceasefire, Hamas-run health ministry says

From the start of the ceasefire agreement on 10 October to the end of that month, the ministry recorded 251 deaths. Since then the deadly Israeli attacks have continued every month. The highest monthly death toll this year was recorded in July, when 152 people were killed including 21 children, according to the figures.

The IDF says five of its soldiers have been killed in combat since the ceasefire and one contractor was killed in an “operational accident”.

It also says it has killed hundreds of military operatives since October.

Conflict monitoring group Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (Acled), which uses official statements, media reports and social media to verify attacks, says it has recorded around 200 Israeli strikes during the ceasefire that have reportedly killed Hamas operatives or other armed “militants” in targeted strikes.

Acled said this includes commanders involved in planning the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the war and killed around 1,200 people with 251 taken hostage.

Hugh Lovatt, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank, said “Gaza has seen a ceasefire in name only” since last October. He said the Israeli military has continued its almost daily air and drone strikes, and “though it claims to be targeting Hamas or imminent threats, it is Gaza’s civilians that have continued to bear the brunt”.

This could now be a “central stumbling block” in international efforts to implement Trump’s ceasefire deal, he added.

The IDF told BBC Verify it “remains committed” to the ceasefire agreement and that there have been “continued violations and threats posed by Hamas and other terror organizations” in Gaza.