TEHRAN – The human cost of Israel’s war on Gaza has reached staggering levels, with the death toll now reported at 72,045 and 171,686 injured, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. The figures only partially reflect the scale of devastation, as thousands of victims remain trapped under rubble or have died from starvation, disease, and lack of medical care due to Israel’s siege.

The ministry said on Wednesday that in the past 24 hours alone, hospitals in Gaza received five bodies, including three recovered from under destroyed buildings, alongside 20 new injuries. It noted that emergency services are still unable to reach many areas, leaving victims buried or stranded on the streets. Since the ceasefire agreement on October 10, a total of 591 Palestinians have been killed, 1,578 injured, and 720 bodies have been recovered from the rubble.

Experts warn the official death toll only scratches the surface of the catastrophe. Earlier this month, Stuart Casey-Maslen, head of the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, told Anadolu that Gaza’s population has declined by over 10% since Israel launched its assault on October 7, 2023. Based on pre-war population estimates, this could imply a death toll approaching 200,000 — a scale of civilian loss almost unprecedented in modern history.

“The suffering in Gaza has not ended,” Maslen said. “Even with a reduction in large-scale hostilities, people continue to die from untreated injuries and lack of basic necessities. Food, clean water, shelter, medical care, and protection remain desperately inadequate.”

The destruction has been systematic. Entire neighborhoods, hospitals, schools, water systems, and bakeries have been targeted. Israel has openly used the denial of food, fuel, and medical supplies as a weapon. Maslen noted that these actions — mass killings, serious injuries, and deliberate deprivation of essentials — meet the criteria for genocide under international law.

This assault did not start on October 7. Gaza has endured years of siege, repeated military campaigns, and collective punishment, leaving its population confined and impoverished. The United States has played a central role, providing military aid, political backing, and diplomatic protection to Israel, effectively enabling the war and shielding perpetrators from accountability. Arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court have been met with political attacks, highlighting the international impunity enjoyed by those responsible.

The human and infrastructural toll will last decades. Billions of dollars will be needed just to restore basic infrastructure, while the psychological and social scars — orphaned children, shattered families, and erased communities — are irreparable.