What are the verified facts and key statements about the Israel-Gaza conflict between 2023 and 2025?
Statements from Key Global Figures
While States debate terminology – is it or is it not genocide? – Israel continues its relentless destruction of life in Gaza, through attacks by land, air and sea, displacing and massacring the surviving population with impunity.
UN Experts (including Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories)
The level of suffering we are witnessing in Gaza is unprecedented in my mandate as secretary-general of the United Nations.
António Guterres, UN Secretary-General
Israel has carried out acts prohibited under the Genocide Convention, with the specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza.
Amnesty International
At the end of this campaign, all of the territories of the Gaza Strip will be under Israel’s security control…
Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel
There is absolutely no doubt that we are talking about massive atrocities.
Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
[October 7 attacks are] a source of pride for our people… to be passed down from generation to generation.
Khalil al-Hayya, Senior Hamas Leader
We will never accept anything less than the historical Palestine. We do not believe in a two-state solution. We will never recognize Israel.
Ghazi Hamad, Hamas Political Bureau Member
The October 7, 2023 Attacks and Israel’s Military Response
A significant conflict among many is the Israel-Gaza conflict, escalating on October 7, 2023. Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups’ attacks on Israel killed more than 1,200 people. There were abductions of ~250 hostages. Subsequently, Israel declared war. They instituted a military offensive in Gaza with the claimed intent to dismantle Hamas and free the hostages.
Rising Casualties and Civilian Impact
The offensive resulted in tens of thousands of deaths so far. It is widely considered a humanitarian crisis with allegations of genocide and ethnic cleansing. The current extended conflict builds on decades of tensions between Israel and Palestine, e.g., the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the 1967 Six-Day War.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas fired several thousand rockets at Israel. They breached the perimeter fence of Gaza. Most of those killed by Hamas were civilians, marking the deadliest attack on Israel in decades.
Israel’s military offensive included a siege on Gaza, ground operations, and airstrikes. The stated aim was the neutralization of the military capabilities of Hamas and securing the release of the hostages. Since October 7, 2023, ~1,706 Israeli casualties have been tallied, and more than 53,901 Palestinian casualties. Casualty estimation is subject to further confirmation.
The Palestinian casualties are 53,901, of whom 15,613 are children, 8,304 are women, 3,839 are elderly, and 825 are infants (under 12 months old). One hundred twenty-two thousand five hundred ninety-three have been wounded—numbers based on the Gaza Ministry of Health. UN verification is ongoing.
Israeli casualties are the aforementioned ~1,706, with ~59 hostages still in Gaza and, at least, about ~35 of ~59 are dead. Other less referenced deaths are aid workers: 408, including 280 UN personnel. Numerous journalists have been killed; dozens for sure, but, like many numbers, precise figures remain uncertain.
The restricted access to Gaza and the fluid nature of the conflict make real-time counts uncertain. Starvation and disease may create higher actual numbers from indirect deaths. The larger numbers come from other derivatives of war.
Gaza Under Siege: Infrastructure and Displacement
90% of Gaza’s population—1.9 million people—is displaced. Many of these 1.9 million have been displaced more than once. No aid has entered Gaza since March 2, 2025. 16 of 36 hospitals are partially functional (as of August 2024). Many civilians are in a 15-square-mile area. They face Hepatitis C and other potential disease outbreaks.
The “no aid” since March 2 is part of the total siege since March 2, 2025. For more than 10 weeks, no food, fuel, medical supplies, or water entered. One hundred twenty-two health facilities and 180 ambulances have been destroyed or damaged.
Uncertain about the numbers when separated from the conflation of “destroyed or damaged.” Several hundred have been killed in attacks on healthcare facilities. Premature babies died due to power cuts.
For homes, 92% have been damaged or destroyed. Roughly 70% of schools have been destroyed. While exact percentages may differ, the claim reflects the extensive damage in Gaza. Contentious debate on allegations of “genocide.”
Legal and International Human Rights Assessments
Amnesty International and UN experts claim Israel is committing genocide. Israel claims self-defence against Hamas. Evidence put forth is infrastructure destruction, mass killings, and starvation.
Amnesty International published “‘You Feel Like You Are Subhuman’: Israel’s Genocide Against Palestinians in Gaza” in December 2024. They alleged genocide via the following: killings, serious harm, and conditions for physical destruction. They find support in Israeli officials’ statements to indicate intent. They utilize 212 interviews, policy analysis, and visual data.
Human Rights Watch published “Extermination and Acts of Genocide” in December 2024. They found extermination and possible genocide based on electricity, fuel, and water cutoffs, plus infrastructure destruction. They utilize 66 interviews and satellite imagery.
UN experts allege reasonable grounds for genocide based on UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese. They cite healthcare destruction and starvation, particularly in the leading Gazan IVF clinic. Israel argued that the claims were baseless and antisemitic, emphasizing self-defence. In addition, they facilitate aid and issue evacuation orders. Amnesty’s Israeli branch dissents. They find no definitive proof of genocidal intent.
Global Response and Political Consequences
Three central politico-legal actions have been issued. In January, March, and May 2024, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to prevent genocide, allow aid, and preserve evidence. So far, compliance has been limited.
The International Criminal Court issued arrests for Hamas (Mohammed Deif) and Israeli leaders (Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant). The warrant for Deif was retracted upon confirmation of death. The UN and aid agencies demand accountability, a ceasefire, and unrestricted aid. Israel’s allies face ongoing arms support scrutiny.
The latter is most visible in North America in many public protests. Responses vary by Israeli ally—allegations of risking complicity nationally with arms transfers. The US notes potential legal breaches while citing incompleteness of evidence.
HRW labelled the October 7 Hamas and other armed groups’ attacks as war crimes. The UN has called for the release of the hostages and the end of rocket attacks.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen is Secretary of, and Chair of the Media Committee for, The New Enlightenment Project. He is the publisher of In-Sight Publishing (ISBN: 978-1-0692343) and Editor-in-Chief of In-Sight: Interviews (ISSN: 2369-6885). He writes for The Good Men Project, International Policy Digest (ISSN: 2332–9416), The Humanist (Print: ISSN 0018-7399; Online: ISSN 2163-3576), Basic Income Earth Network (UK Registered Charity 1177066), A Further Inquiry, and other media. He is a member in good standing of numerous media organizations.
Photo by Mohammed Ibrahim on Unsplash
