More than 900 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza this year despite a ceasefire, according to figures from the territory’s Hamas-run Ministry of Health.
Israel and Hamas agreed to halt the war after accepting United States President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, which called for an end to military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment.
However, BBC Verify has analysed dozens of videos showing the aftermath of Israeli strikes in Gaza since the ceasefire. The incidents included attacks on a beachside cafe, shelters housing displaced people and a reported funeral procession.
According to the health ministry, more than 100 people were killed in each month between April and August, with July recording the highest monthly death toll this year. The ministry reported 152 deaths in July, including 21 children.
The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its figures. However, the UN considers its overall figures reliable, while experts who spoke to BBC Verify said independent analysis was consistent with the ministry’s data.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) disputes the figures, saying there is “no basis to assume” everyone listed was killed as a result of Israeli military activity. The IDF said it conducts operations to remove threats and protect Israeli troops and civilians while attempting to minimise civilian casualties.
The Gaza health ministry recorded 251 deaths between the beginning of the ceasefire on 10 October and the end of that month. It noted that deadly Israeli attacks have continued every month since then.
Conflict monitoring group Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (Acled) has recorded about 200 Israeli strikes during the ceasefire that reportedly killed Hamas operatives or other armed militants.
The IDF said five of its soldiers and one contractor have died since the ceasefire, while claiming that hundreds of military operatives have also been killed.
Hugh Lovatt, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, described the situation as a “ceasefire in name only”. He said Israeli air and drone strikes had continued almost daily and that civilians were bearing much of the impact.
The IDF said it remained committed to the ceasefire but accused Hamas and other armed groups of continuing to violate the agreement and pose threats.
BBC Verify examined videos from several attacks carried out since the ceasefire.
On 18 August, six people were reportedly killed in a strike on a beachside cafe in Gaza City, according to the health ministry. The following day, nine people, including a 13-year-old child, were reportedly killed in a strike on a police headquarters in the al-Tuffah neighbourhood.
The IDF said it had targeted Hamas commanders and other militants in both incidents and that measures had been taken to reduce harm to civilians.
In another deadly incident in July, seven people were killed and 22 injured in a strike on a reported funeral procession in Nuseirat, according to Al-Awda Hospital. The IDF said the target was a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad operative allegedly involved in the 7 October 2023 attacks on Israel.
On 1 August, a strike on an apartment block in western Gaza City reportedly killed a pregnant woman, her husband and their young son. The IDF said it had targeted an acting Hamas commander.
UN children’s agency UNICEF has also reported that more than 300 children have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire.
James Elder, a UNICEF spokesperson, described the number of child deaths as “absurd and devastating”, adding that hundreds more children had been injured.
Humanitarian organisations have also reported the deaths of aid workers during the ceasefire. The Aid Worker Security Database told BBC Verify that 22 aid workers had been killed in Gaza since 10 October 2025.
Independent research group Airwars said its own investigations were consistent with the health ministry’s figures. It recorded more than 60 deadly incidents in July, which it described as the highest number of fatal incidents in a month since the ceasefire began.
Professor Michael Spagat of Royal Holloway, University of London, said the health ministry’s figures could be independently assessed because it publishes information including the names and ages of those killed.
He said Gaza’s monthly death toll since April had been roughly twice the level recorded in December, with July the deadliest month and August still significantly higher than earlier periods.
(BBC News)
