According to an analysis of police and hospital records compiled in 1982 by the newspaper An Nahar, the death toll in Lebanon was estimated to be 17,825. However, it was believed to be an undercount. The Times reported in 1982 that accurately numbering the dead in Lebanon was virtually impossible.
In the 1967 Middle East war, an estimated 19,000 Egyptians, Syrians, and others were killed fighting Israel. Similarly, in the 1973 war, a similar number of Syrians and Egyptians died. The exact tolls for these wars, as well as the Gaza and Lebanon wars, are not known, but it is believed that most of the dead were combatants.
In contrast, the Gaza Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government, stated that out of the 19,667 killed, approximately 70 percent were women and children. The Gaza authorities do not provide breakdowns for the number of combatants killed.
Israel claims to have killed around 7,000 Hamas fighters, but has not provided an explanation for how it arrived at that number.
The death toll in Gaza is expected to increase significantly as Palestinians are able to recover from the extensive destruction caused by the war. The Gazan government spokesperson mentioned that in addition to the approximately 20,000 dead, 6,700 people are missing, with many believed to still be buried under the rubble.
Omar Shakir, the Israel and Palestine director for Human Rights Watch, stated that there is a likelihood that many of the people missing under the rubble will be determined to have been killed. Therefore, even if the bombing were to stop today, the death toll is likely to increase.