Guardian investigation: 83 percent of the dead in Gaza are civilians

A joint investigation by several media outlets revealed that 83 percent of the Palestinian martyrs in Gaza are civilians, reflecting the extent of the humanitarian suffering faced by the besieged residents of the enclave.

According to classified Israeli military intelligence data, 5 out of every 6 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza were civilians, a rate unprecedented in recent wars.

The database shows that Israeli intelligence identified the deaths of 8,900 fighters from Hamas and Islamic Jihad up to May 2025, while the Gaza Health Ministry announced that the total number of martyrs reached 53,000 during the same period.

This means that only 17 percent of the victims were fighters, highlighting the significant gap between the official Israeli figures and the reality on the ground.

The investigation quoted an intelligence source stating that official Israeli statements are exaggerated, with retired General Yitzhak Brick noting that most of the martyrs are civilians and that the announced figures do not reflect the truth.

The investigation also pointed out that many academics and human rights activists consider what is happening in Gaza to be genocide, citing mass killings and the starvation of the population.

The Gaza Health Ministry confirmed that the numbers may be lower than reality, as they do not include thousands of people still trapped under the rubble.

In light of the dire humanitarian conditions, humanitarian organizations assert that Israeli forces have killed hundreds of Palestinians while they were trying to obtain food amid the widespread famine in the enclave.

Since October 7, 2023, the occupying state has committed genocide in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of 62,192 Palestinians and injuring 157,114 others, reflecting the scale of the humanitarian disaster.

Suffering continues in Gaza, where residents are facing severe shortages of food and medicine, exacerbating the humanitarian situation.