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Is Israel killing innocent Palestinians and or invading Palestine?
Executive summary
Reporting from a range of international NGOs, UN bodies, major news organisations and think‑tanks shows that Israeli military operations since October 7, 2023 have killed very large numbers of Palestinians in Gaza—tens of thousands by multiple tallies—and that ceasefires have been repeatedly disputed and punctured by further strikes [1] [2] [3]. Independent bodies including a UN Commission and human rights organisations have accused Israel of actions that in some reports amount to grave violations of international law; Israel and its supporters say its operations target Hamas and other armed groups responsible for the October 2023 assault on Israel [4] [5].
1. How many Palestinians have been killed and who counts them?
Different institutions publish different totals: Gaza health authorities and documents compiled by Gaza list very high death tolls (tens of thousands), Reuters and the AP report figures in the tens of thousands and note methodological limits in distinguishing combatants from civilians [1] [6]. Wikipedia compilations and consolidated casualty pages cite over 70,000 total deaths in the Gaza war as of November 2025, largely Palestinian, while also recording Israeli casualties [3]. These counts reflect differing sources, verification methods and the extreme difficulty of accounting under war conditions [3] [1].
2. Are these civilians described as “innocent” being killed?
Multiple sources document that a large share of the Palestinian dead are women and children and that many casualties occurred during strikes on populated areas, aid queues and while civilians sought refuge—facts used by human rights groups and UN actors to characterise the scale of civilian harm [7] [8] [1]. At the same time, some reporting stresses that militant fighters operate within civilian areas and that official Israeli tallies assert a substantial number of combatants have been killed—figures that Israeli authorities say justify operations against Hamas [1] [5]. Available sources do not provide a single, universally accepted breakdown of “innocent” versus combatant deaths.
3. Legal and human‑rights judgments: what do international bodies say?
A UN Independent International Commission concluded Israel “has committed genocide” in the Gaza Strip based on its investigation up to July 31, 2025, citing killing, inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about destruction and other acts [4]. Human Rights Watch, Amnesty and other organisations have also documented large‑scale destruction and alleged violations; some states suspended or restricted arms transfers citing risk of violations [9] [10]. Israel disputes these characterisations and argues its actions are counter‑terror operations against Hamas and intended to protect Israeli civilians after the October 7 attacks [5].
4. Is Israel “invading Palestine”? How do sources describe ground operations?
Reporting records multiple large‑scale ground incursions and prolonged military operations in Gaza beginning with large offensives in late 2023 and continuing in subsequent phases, including intensive strikes and incursions into populated areas such as Gaza City, Khan Younis and Rafah [11] [12] [13]. International briefings and think‑tank analyses describe these as an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip and, at times, ground invasions into Lebanon amid wider regional fighting [13] [14]. Whether one uses the term “invasion” depends on legal and political definitions—parliamentary and UN briefs label Israeli presence and control in parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territory historically as occupation [15] [16].
5. Why are accounts disputed? Competing narratives and evidence challenges
Israeli accounts emphasise the need to dismantle Hamas and recover hostages, and they assert many of those killed were combatants [1]. Palestinian, UN and human‑rights accounts emphasise civilian suffering, destruction of infrastructure and restrictions on aid, arguing many actions amount to collective punishment or worse [8] [9]. Verification is hindered by restricted access, destroyed records, differing casualty methodologies and the fog of war; some outlets note discrepancies and potential under‑ or over‑counts [3] [1].
6. What should a reader take away?
Available reporting documents large civilian death tolls and widespread destruction in Gaza and persistent allegations—from a UN Commission and human rights NGOs—of serious violations by Israeli forces; Israeli authorities argue their campaign targets Hamas militants responsible for mass attacks in October 2023 [4] [5] [1]. For precise legal conclusions or an absolute civilian/combatant split, current sources show disagreement and methodological limits; readers should treat single‑figure tallies cautiously and follow multiple monitoring organisations, UN investigations and on‑the‑ground reporting for updates [3] [4].
Limitations: this summary relies on the provided sources only and does not adjudicate contested legal claims beyond reporting what those institutions have concluded or what official spokespeople assert [4] [5].