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Half a Year into the War in Gaza, Here’s a Look at the Conflict by the Numbers

Palestinians flee from northern Gaza as Israeli tanks block the Salah al-Din road in the central Gaza Strip on Nov. 24, 2023. (AP)
Palestinians flee from northern Gaza as Israeli tanks block the Salah al-Din road in the central Gaza Strip on Nov. 24, 2023. (AP)
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Half a Year into the War in Gaza, Here’s a Look at the Conflict by the Numbers

Palestinians flee from northern Gaza as Israeli tanks block the Salah al-Din road in the central Gaza Strip on Nov. 24, 2023. (AP)
Palestinians flee from northern Gaza as Israeli tanks block the Salah al-Din road in the central Gaza Strip on Nov. 24, 2023. (AP)

The Israel-Hamas war has stretched on for half a year and become one of the most destructive, deadly, and intractable conflicts of the 21st century.

Since Hamas’ Oct. 7 cross-border attack, Israel has pummeled the Gaza Strip, displacing the vast majority of the population and causing many to flee to Gaza’s southernmost city, Rafah. Food is scarce, the UN says famine is approaching and few Palestinians have been able to leave the besieged territory.

Meanwhile, Hamas continues to fire rockets into Israel from Gaza, and Hezbollah and other militant groups do so from southern Lebanon, prompting tit-for-tat fighting that has displaced thousands of civilians on both sides of Israel’s borders.

Hamas is still holding hostages taken during the Oct. 7 raid, as well as the bodies of some who died in captivity. And ceasefire talks stretch on with no end in sight.

Here’s a look at the conflict by numbers, which mainly come from the Israeli military and prime minister’s office, the Gaza health ministry, the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and Associated Press reporting.

TOTAL DEATHS

Palestinians killed in Gaza: 33,091

Children killed in Gaza: more than 13,000

People killed in Israel: about 1,200

Palestinians killed in the West Bank: 456

People killed in Lebanon: at least 343

CIVILIANS

Civilians killed in Gaza: Gaza’s health ministry doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, but it says women and children have made up around two-thirds of those killed.

Civilians and foreigners killed in Israel on Oct. 7: 780

First responders killed in Israel on Oct. 7: 62

Civilians killed since Oct. 7 in Israel along its northern border: 9

Civilians killed in Lebanon: At least 50

Aid workers killed in Gaza: 224, including at least 30 killed in the line of duty

Health workers killed in Gaza: 484

Journalists killed in Gaza: At least 95

SOLDIERS/GUNMEN

Fighters killed by Israel in Gaza: more than 13,000, according to the Israeli military

Israeli soldiers killed in the Gaza ground offensive: 256

Israeli soldiers killed on Oct. 7: 314

Israeli soldiers killed along Israel’s northern front since Oct. 7: 11

Militants killed in Lebanon: About 280, mostly from Hezbollah

DESTRUCTION/HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN GAZA

Percentage of buildings likely damaged/destroyed: 55.9%

Percentage of homes likely damaged: more than 60%

Percentage of school buildings damaged: 90%

Hospitals that are functioning: 10/36

Palestinian civilians facing “catastrophic” food insecurity, according to the UN: 1.1 million

Percentage of northern Gaza children under age 2 who are acutely malnourished: 31%

Percentage of students out of school: 100%

Mosques damaged: 227

Churches damaged: 3

INJURIES

Palestinians injured in Gaza since Oct. 7: 75,750

Palestinians injured in the West Bank since Oct. 7: 4,750

Israeli soldiers injured since the beginning of the ground offensive: 1,549

Israeli civilians injured on Oct. 7: 4,834

DISPLACEMENT

Palestinians currently displaced in Gaza: 1.7 million (70% of the population)

Israelis currently displaced from border communities: 90,000 (under 1% of the population)

HOSTAGES/PRISONERS

Hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7: 253

Hostages freed: 123

Hostages who are alive or haven’t been confirmed dead: 98, including two who were taken before Oct. 7

Hostages confirmed to have died in Hamas captivity: 36, including two taken before Oct. 7

Palestinian prisoners freed during weeklong pause in fighting: 240

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Arab World

Israeli Detonations Reshape South Lebanon Villages, Deepen Their Isolation

Israeli tanks and military vehicles on a road between destroyed houses in southern Lebanon near the border with northern Israel, April 29, 2026. (AFP)
Israeli tanks and military vehicles on a road between destroyed houses in southern Lebanon near the border with northern Israel, April 29, 2026. (AFP)
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Israeli Detonations Reshape South Lebanon Villages, Deepen Their Isolation

Israeli tanks and military vehicles on a road between destroyed houses in southern Lebanon near the border with northern Israel, April 29, 2026. (AFP)
Israeli tanks and military vehicles on a road between destroyed houses in southern Lebanon near the border with northern Israel, April 29, 2026. (AFP)

Israeli forces are blasting homes, farmland, roads and bridges across southern Lebanon, leaving villages stripped of familiar landmarks and raising fears that residents may never be able to return.

The destruction extends far beyond military positions and hilltops, according to scientific data and a study of war damage. A military expert says the pattern points to an Israeli effort to reshape the region's population and landscape.

Officials at Lebanon's National Council for Scientific Research told Asharq Al-Awsat that 2,057 Israeli explosions were recorded between April 17 and Oct. 29, reflecting the scale of Israeli military operations. No published breakdown of their geographic distribution or counting methodology was available.

An earlier scientific report published by the council documented 1,731 mining and demolition operations in southern Lebanon between March 2 and September 10, including 1,128 after the June 26 “framework agreement”.

The daily average surged from 5.15 operations before the agreement to about 15 afterward.

Homes and bridges in ruins

More than 90,000 homes across Lebanon had been damaged or destroyed by mid-June, according to preliminary estimates cited in a study by Information International. The figure was not limited to southern Lebanon.

The study documented seven bridges completely destroyed and partial damage to the Qasmieh Bridge, among eight bridges targeted along routes linking the area south of the Litani River to surrounding areas.

Citing the International Organization for Migration, the study said 499,784 people remained internally displaced as of July 1, highlighting the struggle to restore stability even as returns began.

The National Council for Scientific Research also documented a massive blast in Majdal Zoun on June 28 and ground waves triggered by an explosion in Shaqif overnight on July 30-31, equivalent to a magnitude 3.8 earthquake, according to the National Center for Geophysics.

A separate explosion in Ali al-Taher on September 10 coincided with a magnitude 4.1 seismic event recorded by the US Geological Survey.

The Shaqif blast raised concerns over the historic Beaufort castle, which has temporary enhanced protection and is listed among the "Castles of Jabal Amel" on the World Heritage List.

The remains of a home destroyed by the Israeli army in the village of Beit Lif, southern Lebanon, April 22, 2026. (AFP)

'Eliminating the foundations of life'

Retired Staff Brigadier General Khalil al-Gemayel described the destruction as a systematic scorched-earth policy designed to wipe out residential communities, deprive them of the basic necessities of life and prevent residents from returning.

He said the operations were paving the way for a prolonged Israeli presence in areas under its control.

The council's tally of 2,057 explosions since April was consistent with the scale of Israeli operations on the ground, Gemayel said, pointing to almost daily blasts targeting not only military positions and hilltops but also homes, neighborhoods, buildings and infrastructure.

The destruction was particularly concentrated around major population centers such as Bint Jbeil, Khiam and Aita al-Shaab, as well as villages including Zawtar al-Sharqiyeh, he said.

Gemayel said the pattern closely followed Israeli troop deployments, with built-up areas and population centers facing Israeli positions bearing the brunt of the demolitions.

The operations went beyond immediate military objectives and were intended to bring about sweeping demographic and environmental changes, he added.

"Destroying homes, infrastructure, vegetation and farmland effectively eliminates the foundations of life, rather than merely preventing military use of these areas," he said.

Gemayel compared the operations to Israel's actions in Syria's Golan Heights after its occupation in 1967, when villages were demolished and cleared.

He said the same approach was now being repeated in southern Lebanon, with the landscape altered and the traces of residential communities erased.

Even a political settlement and Israeli withdrawal would not guarantee a swift return of the displaced, he warned.

Rebuilding communities could take years, perhaps decades, with some residents potentially unable even to locate their former homes after entire streets, buildings and village landmarks disappeared.

A general view shows homes and structures demolished by the Israeli army in the village of Beit Lif, southern Lebanon, April 22, 2026. (AFP)

Imposing a new reality

Gemayel said the demolitions were concentrated in several areas along built-up stretches extending roughly 1,000 meters in front of Israeli positions, targeting buildings and residential communities facing deployed troops.

He identified Majdal Zoun and Mansouri, along with areas around Srebbine, Yater, Beit Yahoun, Hadatha, Baraachit and Aita al-Jabal, as examples.

He said Israeli aerial surveillance and other technological capabilities often allowed its forces to distinguish civilian from military movements, but that had not stopped the destruction from spreading.

Gemayel said the ultimate aim was to prevent residents from returning to areas occupied by Israeli forces or facing their positions by destroying villages and residential communities capable of sustaining everyday life.

The scale and pattern of destruction suggested Israel intended to maintain a long-term presence while imposing a new geographic and demographic reality that could prove difficult to reverse even after military operations ended, he said.

Arab World

Syria Says Foiled Hezbollah-Linked Plot to Bomb Oil Refinery

Explosives and other equipment that were seized in possession of the detainees. (Syrian internal security forces)
Explosives and other equipment that were seized in possession of the detainees. (Syrian internal security forces)
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Syria Says Foiled Hezbollah-Linked Plot to Bomb Oil Refinery

Explosives and other equipment that were seized in possession of the detainees. (Syrian internal security forces)
Explosives and other equipment that were seized in possession of the detainees. (Syrian internal security forces)

Syrian authorities said on Tuesday they had prevented a sabotage attempt against an important refinery by figures linked to Lebanon's Hezbollah group, which denied the accusation.

The announcement comes after a series of unclaimed attacks against oil and gas pipelines across several parts of Syria.

Domestic intelligence and security forces "foiled a terrorist plot by a cell affiliated with the Hezbollah militia that was targeting the Homs refinery", the security forces said in a statement.

They said they had arrested two members of the cell and seized explosives intended for use in the attack.

In a statement later, Hezbollah denied the accusations "in their entirety", condemning "the repetition of these accusations".

It reiterated that it "has no presence or connections in Syrian territory and has nothing to do with any activity that undermined Syria's security and stability".

The Homs refinery, in central Syria, is the only operational one in a country devastated by more than a decade of civil war that ended in late 2024.

Another refinery, on the coast at Banias, is undergoing maintenance.

Damascus has previously announced the dismantling of cells linked to Hezbollah, which has denied the allegations each time.

The Lebanese group took part in Syria's war on the side of the since-overthrown Bashar al-Assad, fighting against those now in power in Damascus and earning their ongoing enmity.

On Sunday, Syrian news agency SANA reported a foiled plot against the refinery, while in early October Damascus reported sabotage attacks first against an oil pipeline and then a gas one.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem have both raised the possibility of meeting each other.

Arab World

Jordan Charges Church Attack Suspects with Terrorism

Relatives mourn as they hold a framed portrait of a victim killed in an attack on a Greek Orthodox church during a funeral ceremony in Karak, Jordan, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP)
Relatives mourn as they hold a framed portrait of a victim killed in an attack on a Greek Orthodox church during a funeral ceremony in Karak, Jordan, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP)
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Jordan Charges Church Attack Suspects with Terrorism

Relatives mourn as they hold a framed portrait of a victim killed in an attack on a Greek Orthodox church during a funeral ceremony in Karak, Jordan, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP)
Relatives mourn as they hold a framed portrait of a victim killed in an attack on a Greek Orthodox church during a funeral ceremony in Karak, Jordan, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP)

Jordanian prosecutors on Tuesday charged three men with terrorism-related offences over a deadly gun attack last month on a church in the kingdom's south.

On October 23, gunmen killed nine people and wounded 25 others when they stormed a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Hammoud village, in Jordan's Karak governorate.

Authorities said the suspected gunmen, two Jordanian brothers and their relative by marriage, fled after the attack but were arrested three days later.

According to a statement from Jordan's state security prosecutor, "the public prosecution has completed all investigative procedures... related to the terrorist attack carried out at Saint George Church".

The seven charges include "committing terrorist acts resulting in the death of a person, carrying out terrorist acts using weapons and ammunition, possessing weapons and ammunition for terrorist purposes, conspiring to carry out terrorist acts and promoting the ideology of a terrorist group".

Under Jordan's anti-terrorism law, a conviction on the most serious charge -- carrying out terrorist acts resulting in death -- is punishable by death.

Authorities have described the suspects as followers of a hardline extremist ideology.

The attack shocked the kingdom, where Christians make up around three percent of Jordan's Muslim-majority population.

Jordan retaliated by launching deadly strikes on "terrorist organizations" in Syria, claiming to have killed more than 20 extremists, but sparking a brief diplomatic crisis with its neighbor.