Eighty-three percent of those killed in Gaza were civilians, according Israel's own military : Shared by Fouad Kronfol

Estimated civilian death rate in selected conflicts

Civilians

Unknown

Rwanda 1994

99.8%

Mariupol 2022

95

Srebrenica 1992-1995

92

Gaza 2023-2025

83

Aleppo 2012-2016

59

5

Bosnia 1992-1995

57

Sudan 2023-2024

49.5

43.5

Syria 2012-2024

29

5

Ukraine 2022-2024

10

11

Afghanistan 2001-2021

8

4

0%

25

50

75

100

Guardian graphic. Source: Guardian research (Gaza), Uppsala Conflict Data Program (other conflicts). Notes: Gaza estimate is based on classified IDF figures for named fighters killed and Palestinian MoH casualty figures as of May 2025. MoH records deaths as a direct result of Israeli aggression, excluding indirect deaths and those unrecorded by hospital morgues 

Revealed: Israeli military’s own data indicates civilian death rate of 83% in Gaza war

Emma Graham-Harrison — The Guardian

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Summary

A joint investigation by the Guardian, +972 Magazine, and Local Call has revealed that Israeli military intelligence data indicates civilians account for 83% of deaths in Gaza, one of the highest civilian casualty rates in modern conflicts. As of May 2025, the Israeli database listed 8,900 Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters as dead or “probably dead,” compared with a total death toll of 53,000 reported by Gaza health authorities. This suggests that five out of six Palestinians killed were civilians.

Experts described the civilian death rate as extraordinarily high, comparable only to atrocities such as the Rwandan genocide, the siege of Mariupol, and Srebrenica. Despite Israeli officials often claiming much higher militant death tolls, intelligence sources and former generals acknowledged that official figures are inflated, with civilians frequently counted as combatants. Internal rules allowed soldiers to classify unidentified casualties as militants.

The investigation also highlights that Israeli forces operate in densely populated areas with rules of engagement that accept high civilian deaths, including strikes on low-ranking militants. Human rights groups, genocide scholars, and even some Israeli academics argue the scale of killing and deliberate starvation policies amount to genocide. Meanwhile, Israeli leaders maintain the war is self-defence following the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks, though rhetoric from senior officials has included openly genocidal statements.

Quotes

• “That proportion of civilians among those killed would be unusually high, particularly as it has been going on for such a long time.” — Therése Pettersson, Uppsala Conflict Data Program
• “People are promoted to the rank of terrorist after their death… I would have come to the conclusion that we had killed 200% of Hamas operatives in the area.” — Israeli intelligence source
• “There is absolutely no connection between the numbers that are announced and what is actually happening. It is just one big bluff.” — Itzhak Brik, retired Israeli general
• “In Gaza we are talking about a campaign of targeted assassinations, really, rather than battles, and they are carried out with no concern for civilians.” — Mary Kaldor, London School of Economics
• “They say they’re using the same kinds of procedures for civilian casualty estimation and mitigation as states like the United States. But if you look at these casualty rates…it is clear that they are not.” — Neta Crawford, Oxford University