Tel Aviv, Israel — More than 600 lives have been claimed by Israeli military strikes in the Gaza Strip in the early days of 2025, with the conflict’s death toll surpassing 46,000 since its onset on October 7, 2023. These figures come from Gaza’s health department, controlled by Hamas, and suggest that the actual numbers might be greatly underestimated. This severe escalation followed an unprecedented attack by Hamas, during which approximately 1,200 individuals were killed and 251 taken hostage.
Estimates now show that every day, nearly 100 people lose their lives due to the conflict, a number that has been steadily rising since the initial assault over a year ago. According to Israeli sources, Hamas bears the responsibility for these casualties, accusing the organization of employing civilians as human shields. However, new findings by “The Lancet,” a prominent medical journal, indicate that the death toll reported by Gaza might be understated by as much as 40%. The study, which incorporated data from various sources including health records and social media, estimated over 64,000 deaths in less than ten months of warfare, prior to July 2024.
These figures do not account for those potentially buried underneath debris, nor the unrecorded deaths caused by severe shortages of food, water, and medical supplies due to ongoing hostilities. On-site reports reveal the dire situation faced by survivors, such as 21-year-old Mahmoud Sukkar of Gaza City, who lost all 17 family members in an air raid. Now alone, Sukkar resides in a make-shift tent settlement, clinging to the hope of one day visiting his family’s resting place.
Meanwhile, the conflict’s reverberations are felt beyond Gaza’s borders. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed ongoing strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen, targeting strategic locations including ports and power stations. These attacks followed sustained missile and drone activities by the Houthis, who like Hamas, are backed by Iran. This stretches the battlefront further, destabilizing the region and affecting global commerce.
Negotiators from the United States and Arab nations report making “real progress” in Doha, Qatar, towards a ceasefire and a potential exchange of hostages. Yet, the lack of a significant breakthrough casts shadows on the peace efforts. Hamas’s chains on negotiations prevent a swift conclusion, particularly concerning the real status of Israeli hostages held since the conflict’s early days.
On the ground, the mood is tense as families of hostages and Israelis affected by the conflict regularly demand urgent government action. Despite the anticipation that any day might bring forward a resolution, the prospect of a ceasefire remains complicated by Hamas’s demands for a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and Israel’s refusal thus far.
External voices are also optimistic yet cautious about the influence of incoming U.S. President Donald Trump, seen by some as a potential catalyst for new solutions. As President Trump prepares to take office, stakeholders on all sides ponder whether his administration might usher in a decisive turn in the ongoing saga of Mid-East peace processes.
As the war drags on, hope mingles with despair among affected populations, longing for an end to the bloodshed and a return to peace and normalcy in what remains a deeply fractured and troubled region.