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| Smoke rises from Gaza after an explosion, as seen from Israel. Photograph: Ammar Awad/Reuters |
Fri 19 Sep 2025
About 15 of every 16 Palestinians the Israeli military has killed since its renewed offensive in Gaza began in March have been civilians, data collected by the independent violence-tracking organisation Acled indicates.
The civilian death rate implied by a report from Acled, which stands for Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, is one of the highest recorded during the conflict, and will increase international pressure on Israel as its forces advance into Gaza City, forcing up to a million people to evacuate and threatening further large-scale civilian casualties.
Researchers from Acled, which is backed by western governments and the UN, tracked reports of losses sustained by Hamas and allied armed groups in Gaza from the Israeli military, reliable local and international media, statements from Hamas and other sources over a six-month period.
“Since 18 March, Israel claims it killed more than 2,100 operatives, though Acled data indicates that the number is closer to 1,100, and includes Hamas’ political figures, as well as fighters from other groups,” the report said.
More than 16,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel broke a two-month ceasefire in March with a huge wave of airstrikes across the devastated territory, according to statistics published by the UN.
Military officials briefed the 2,100 figure to Israeli media in mid-August and internal Israeli estimates may have risen since. Acled’s researchers may also not have captured all combatant deaths over the six-month period, but their total does include Hamas political figures.
The Guardian revealed last month that internal data from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) indicated a civilian death toll of 83% between the outbreak of war in October 2023 and May of this year.
The Acled report also found that incidents involving the demolition of buildings in Gaza had increased significantly since the renewal of hostilities in March, with 698 in the 15 months before, and 500 in the six months since. Many incidents involved more than one building, researchers said... READ MORE https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/19/civilians-made-up-15-of-every-16-people-israel-killed-in-gaza-since-march-data-suggests