15 out of 16 people killed in Gaza by Israel since March were civilians, new report finds

As Israel continues with its offensive in Gaza, a report by an independent violence-tracking organisation revealed that about 15 of every 16 Palestinians the Israeli military has killed since March this year have been civilians. The data was shared by a body called Acled, which stands for Armed Conflict Location and Event Data.

The report was released amid growing international pressure over Israel’s move to advance into Gaza City, which has already forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes. Researchers from Acled, which western governments and the UN back, 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 six months.

“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. Meanwhile, over 16,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel broke a two-month ceasefire deal in March, conducting massive airstrikes across Gaza.

Acled noted that it may not have been able to capture all combatant deaths over the six months, but their total does include Hamas political figures. The report came a month after The Guardian revealed that Israel’s internal data suggests a civilian death toll of 83 per cent between the outbreak of war in October 2023 and May of this year.

The report also reveals devastation.

The Acled report also found that incidents of 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. Researchers noted that many of these incidents involved the demolition of multiple buildings.

Last week, a senior Israeli official told The Guardian that there were tensions between protecting civilians and the “demands of fast-moving military operations”. We are fighting a very different war from any previous conflict anyone has fought anywhere in the world,” the Israeli military officer said. “There are strict rules of engagement, but what has changed is the policy that was designed for small wars where we wanted to deter [enemies] … We are now fighting in Gaza to ensure that Hamas is not ruling Gaza.”

Meanwhile, on Friday, the IDF warned that it would operate with “unprecedented force” in Gaza City, urging residents to flee southwards while announcing the closure of a temporary evacuation route opened 48 hours earlier.

Acled, in its latest report, also noted that Israeli airstrikes had killed at least 40 commanders and key operatives in Hamas’s military wing since March. Only one senior official from Hamas’s pre-war military council is still in command, the report noted.

“Hamas has been weakened undoubtedly and does not think they can now stop or defeat Israel and push them out of Gaza through military force,” said Ameneh Mehvar, Acled’s senior analyst for the Middle East and a co-author of the report. At this point, Hamas is trying to “preserve what is left” of the movement,” he added.

It is pertient to note that the Israeli offensive in Gaza has killed more than 65,000 people, mostly civilians, and injured more than 160,000 since 7 October 2023. Apart from this, swathes of territory have been reduced to ruin, and almost 90 per cent of homes have been damaged. Meanwhile, health services have collapsed, and expert UN-backed monitors declared famine in the north last month.