Gaza death toll reaches 1,000 since “ceasefire” as humanitarian siege continues and hospitals struggle to function

Since the “ceasefire” came into effect on 10 October 2025, Israeli forces have reportedly committed more than 3,000 violations, killed at least 1,005 Palestinians and injured 3,157 others, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza. Meanwhile, the Israeli military has pushed the “Yellow Line” westward, consolidating control over an estimated 60% of Gaza – well beyond the agreed ceasefire boundaries.

Last Friday, dozens of families in eastern Gaza City were forced to flee after Israeli forces marked a further expansion of the so-called “Yellow Line” by placing yellow cement blocks deeper into the area. The failure to enforce the agreement, to hold Israel to account for these violations, has had a devastating human cost to the lives of over two million Palestinians.

Fikr Shalltoot, Gaza Director at Medical Aid for Palestinians, said: "We mourn as Gaza reaches yet another tragic milestone – a thousand people killed since leaders announced an end to the violence in October. Thousands more people who were told the worst was over are still burying their loved ones.

“Since October, what we have witnessed cannot in any way be called a ceasefire. As the bombs continued to fall and Gaza remained under a near-total siege, global leaders convinced themselves a piece of paper could substitute for accountability, for a lifted blockade, for medicine reaching the people who needed it."

The “ceasefire” was supposed to offer an opportunity to begin rebuilding Gaza’s health system, which has been left in ruins following after two years of systematic destruction. But only 20 of 37 hospitals remain partially functional, and there is not a single fully functioning hospital left. More than 1,825 health facilities have been damaged or destroyed. 62% of primary healthcare medications were out of stock in April, and the World Health Organization (WHO) recorded 22 attacks on healthcare facilities in the early months of 2026 alone.

Diagnostic services have also collapsed, with only around two functioning CT scanners serving Gaza's entire population and many cancer screening and laboratory services no longer available. According to MAP’s team in Gaza, patients are increasingly dying from otherwise treatable conditions because of delays in diagnosis and the lack of essential medical infrastructure.

Sally Saleh, MAP's Head of Emergency in Gaza, said: “The consequences of these shortages extend beyond oncology. Even routine conditions such as fractures or postpartum haemorrhage are becoming life-threatening due to delayed diagnosis, lack of imaging, and inadequate laboratory support. Infections that could normally be diagnosed and treated appropriately are instead managed without proper identification, increasing complications and avoidable harm.

The toll on Gaza's health workers continues to grow. On 15 June, Mohammed Mousa Al Habil, an emergency room nurse at Shifa Hospital, and his six-year-old son Mousa were killed in an Israeli strike while refilling water tanks on the roof of their home in Gaza City. He is believed to be at least the fifth Palestinian healthcare worker killed since the “ceasefire” agreement came into effect.

According to the World Health Organisation, at least 1,700 healthcare workers have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, while a recent UN/EU report found that around 14% of Gaza's health workforce has been lost.

Over 43,000 Palestinians are living with life-changing injuries, a quarter of them children, while more than 1,400 people have died waiting for medical evacuation that never came, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health – and 18,500 critical patients, including 4,000 children, remain trapped inside Gaza with no way out. The UN and World Bank estimate that rebuilding the health sector will require $10 billion. That rebuilding cannot begin while attacks continue and restrictions on the entry of supplies and equipment remain.

Speaking from inside Shifa, once Gaza’s largest hospital, MAP's Medical Supervisor, Alaa Al Shurafa, described how conditions have not improved since the ceasefire came into effect: "The current phase is still marked by severe shortages of essential medicines and medical supplies. Chemotherapy drugs in particular remain scarce, as do infection prevention and control materials and many basic medical tools.

“We are also facing critical gaps in anaesthetics and antibiotics. As a result, doctors are often forced to work with whatever is available, rather than what is optimal or best for the patient."

Throughout all of this, MAP's teams and partners have continued to deliver lifesaving care across Gaza at scale. In the first three months of 2026 alone, they provided more than 540,000 vital healthcare and humanitarian services to a population under siege. But while Israel’s military bombardment continues and crossings stay sealed, aid organisations cannot rebuild what is still being destroyed.

• Demand a permanent ceasefire and an end to Israel’s genocide in Gaza
• Guarantee full humanitarian access to restore Gaza’s health system, including the immediate release of detained healthcare workers, safe passage for patients and medical staff, and unrestricted entry of aid, fuel, and medical supplies
• Suspend all arms sales to Israel immediately, including components for F-35 fighter jets, and end all military cooperation
• Suspend the UK-Israel trade agreement until Israel's widespread violations of international law are brought to an end
• Support international accountability mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court, to investigate attacks on healthcare and other serious violations of international law

[ENDS]

Fikr Shalltoot, Gaza Director at MAP, is available for interview on request. Please contact the press office to arrange at: [email protected] or +44 (0) 203 869 1310

Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) works for a future where every Palestinian has access to a comprehensive, effective and locally-led system of healthcare, and the full realisation of their rights to health and dignity. We work in the occupied Palestinian territory and in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon.