After 15 gruelling months, a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas has been struck, finally bringing to an end the war in Gaza.
Despite a day of wrangling with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu accusing Hamas of reneging on the deal, all obstacles appear to have been removed. As the fighting looks set to pause on Sunday, The Independent looks at the true cost of the brutal conflict.
The war was triggered on 7 October 2023, when Hamas launched a terror attack into Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages into the Gaza Strip.
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In retaliation, Mr Netanyahu launched a devastating bombing and ground campaign in Gaza, razing much of it to the ground.
As a result, more than 46,788 Palestinians have been killed, with one in four of them children, according to latest figures from the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run strip. A further 110,453 people have been injured, the ministry has said.
Around 1.9 million people, accounting for 90 per cent of the population, have been forcibly displaced several times and are now living in refugee camps while facing a food crisis.
At least 50 per cent of hospitals across Gaza are only “partially functional”, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Up to 12,000 patients are currently in need of medical evacuation, as many of those suffering extensive burns and amputated limbs face limited access to lifesaving medical care, OCHA figures show.
During a brief pause in the war last November, Hamas released around 100 hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, but the war restarted after a week-long truce.
The Israeli military has claimed to have hit over 40,000 targets in Gaza, saying that Hamas is using the population of Gaza as human shields.
More than 8,200 rockets have been launched at Israel from inside the strip since that date, with another 12,000 fired from Lebanon, Israel said.
Collecting data from a variety of sources, The Independent lays out the figures behind a conflict that has brought the entire Middle East to the brink of all-out war:
1,205
The number of people killed in the 7 October attack according to Israeli tallies, including hostages killed in captivity.
251
The number of hostages seized during the attack, of which 94 are still believed to still be in Gaza. Israel believes about half of those are still alive.
29
The number of locations the Israel-Gaza border fence was breached by hundreds of Hamas fighters during the Hamas attack.
150,000
The number of people evacuated from their homes in southern Israel, on or immediately after 7 October. There have also been 5,400 reported injuries across Israel since the Hamas attack, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
46,788
The number of Palestinians killed in Gaza since 7 October, according to Gaza’s health ministry. At least 110,453 others have been injured.
1.9 million
The number of people in Gaza forced to leave their homes, many multiple times. That amounts to more than 85 per cent of those living in Gaza.
345,000
The number of people facing catastrophic hunger across Gaza, according to latest UN-backed reports. More than 96 per cent of Gaza’s population are facing a food crisis.
371
The number of aid workers killed inside Gaza since 7 October, according to the OCHA. At least 160 journalists have also been killed inside the besieged enclave, according to NGO Committee to Protect Journalists.
69%
The percentage of buildings damaged or destroyed across the Gaza Strip, according to latest figures published by the OCHA.
8,200+
The number of rockets Israel’s military says has been fired at Israel from inside Gaza since 8 October. With another 12,000+ from Lebanon.
12,000
The number of patients that need medical evacuation from Gaza, according to the World Health Organisation.
72
The average number of trucks that entered Gaza per day in December 2024 according to the OCHA. It was around 500 a day before the war.
1,303,452
The tons of aid delivered into Gaza since the war began, according to Israeli figures. That involved 65,000 trucks and 10,000 pallets. [Source: Israel].
813
The number of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank killed by Israeli forces or settlers since 7 October, according to the UN.
10,000+
The number of 2,000-pound bombs the US sent to Israel between 7 October 2023 and June 2024, alongside thousands of Hellfire missiles.
In August last year, the US approved the sale of $20bn in fighter jets and other military equipment across years-long contracts.
40,000+
The number of targets Israel’s military says it has struck in Gaza since launching an offensive into the region on 8 October.
£100m
The amount of aid committed by the UK to Gaza and the occupied West Bank between 2023 and 2024, according to the UK Foreign Office.
50%
The number of hospitals (18 out of 36) only partially functional across Gaza, according to latest OCHA figures – with the others having been made inoperable
658,000
The number of students with no access to formal education, according to the OCHA. At least 88 per cent of school buildings need rebuilding.
80.5%
The percentage of Gaza under active Israeli-issued evacuation orders as the ceasfire deal was signed, according to the OCHA.
