Palestine
IsraelKey figures
Who is fighting
Israel
- Israel Defense Forces
- Shin Bet
- Israel Border Police
- United States (military aid, munitions, diplomatic backing)
- Germany (arms exports)
Hamas and allied Palestinian factions
- Hamas (Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades)
- Palestinian Islamic Jihad (al-Quds Brigades)
- Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades)
- Popular Resistance Committees
- Iran (funding, weapons, training; reported)
- Qatar (political mediation and past financial transfers)
- Turkey (political support)
Force sizes are estimates of personnel or fighters, usually from IISS, government statements or specialist reporting; irregular forces are especially hard to count. "(reported)" marks external support that the backer disputes or has not confirmed.
Background
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict dates to the 1948 war and Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza in 1967. Hamas has ruled Gaza since 2007, under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade punctuated by wars in 2008–09, 2012, 2014 and 2021. On 7 October 2023 Hamas-led fighters attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,195 people (roughly 815 of them civilians) and taking 251 hostages. Israel responded with the most intensive bombing and ground campaign in the territory's history, invading on 27 October 2023, moving south to Khan Younis and Rafah through 2024, and killing Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh (in Tehran) and Yahya Sinwar. A week-long truce in November 2023 and a ceasefire from 19 January to 18 March 2025 freed hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners before fighting resumed; famine was confirmed in Gaza governorate in August 2025.
On 29 September 2025 Trump unveiled a 20-point plan; Hamas accepted its first stage and the ceasefire took effect on 10 October 2025. On 13 October Hamas released the 20 surviving hostages for roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, and Israeli forces pulled back to a 'Yellow Line' that leaves a large part of Gaza under Israeli control. The remains of deceased hostages were returned in batches; Israel recovered the last body on 26 January 2026. UN Security Council resolution 2803 (17 November 2025) endorsed a Trump-chaired 'Board of Peace' to oversee a technocratic Palestinian committee and authorized an International Stabilization Force (ISF). US envoy Steve Witkoff declared the start of phase two on 14 January 2026.
The ceasefire has 'largely held' in the sense that large-scale war has not resumed, but Israel has struck Gaza on most days, citing militants crossing the Yellow Line or attacks on its troops; flare-ups killed more than 100 people on 28–29 October 2025 and 28 on 19 November 2025, and targeted strikes killed Hamas military chief Izz al-Din al-Haddad (May 2026) and the Khan Younis and northern Gaza brigade commanders (September 2026). Hamas dissolved its civil administration on 6 July 2026 and elected Khalil al-Hayya as overall leader, but refuses to disarm before an Israeli withdrawal; a Board of Peace disarmament roadmap announced on 31 July 2026 was accepted by Islamic Jihad and rejected by Israel on 9 August. The ISF has only secured troop commitments from Kosovo and Albania and has not deployed; on 14 October 2026 Israel blocked a provision for a 150-strong ISF base. Israel halted commercial goods into Gaza on 15 October 2026 and the World Food Programme announced on 19 October that funding shortfalls would end monthly aid for 500,000 people. The Rafah crossing reopened on 2 February 2026 but was closed again during the Iran war (28 February–19 March).
In the occupied West Bank, Israel's Operation Iron Wall (from January 2025) displaced about 30,000 Palestinians from northern refugee camps, and settler attacks reached a record average of about 190 a month in early 2026, often with army involvement according to the UN. OCHA counted 1,064 Palestinians killed in the West Bank between 7 October 2023 and 8 March 2026, and at least 79 (19 of them children) in 2026 to early September; Israel is withholding about US$6 billion in Palestinian Authority clearance revenues.
Recent developments
- 19 October 2026World Food Programme says it will stop monthly aid to 500,000 people in Gaza because of funding shortages; Gaza Health Ministry toll stands at 74,480 killed and 175,539 wounded, 1,522 of them killed since the ceasefire. source ↗
- 15 October 2026Israel announces it will no longer allow commercial goods into Gaza after merchants suspended coordination over Hamas taxation; drone strikes in Gaza City and Rafah kill several people during the week. source ↗
- 14 October 2026Israel blocks a Board of Peace provision for a base housing 150 international stabilization troops; three days earlier it allowed a US company into Gaza to map sites for a Hamas weapons handover. source ↗
- 3 October 2026IDF claims more than 24,000 militants killed in Gaza since 2023; a strike targeting Hamas de facto leader Ali al-Amoudi kills at least five (Hamas says he survived). source ↗
- 29 September 2026Israel and Hamas confirm the death of northern Gaza commander Izz al-Din al-Beik; the Khan Younis brigade commander was killed on 11 September. source ↗
- 16 September 2026A strike-damaged five-storey building collapses in Gaza City, killing at least 21 people including 11 children. source ↗
- 7 September 2026Kosovo signs a participating-country agreement for the International Stabilization Force; Albania has also committed troops, but the force has not deployed. source ↗
- 2 September 2026Two Palestinians, both 19, are shot dead in al-Mughayyir during a joint settler–army raid; OCHA counts at least 79 Palestinians killed in the West Bank in 2026. source ↗
Timeline
- 7 October 2023Hamas-led attack on southern Israel kills about 1,195 people and takes 251 hostages; Israel declares war and begins bombing Gaza.
- 27 October 2023Israeli ground invasion of Gaza begins; a week-long truce in late November frees 105 hostages.
- 6 May 2024Israel enters Rafah and seizes the Egypt border; Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh (31 July) and Yahya Sinwar (16 October) are killed later in 2024.
- 19 January 2025Three-phase ceasefire takes effect; Israel resumes full-scale war on 18 March 2025 and blocks aid for 11 weeks.
- 22 August 2025IPC confirms famine in Gaza governorate; Israel launches an offensive to occupy Gaza City in September.
- 10 October 2025Ceasefire under Trump's 20-point plan takes effect; on 13 October all 20 living hostages are released for about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and Israeli forces pull back to the 'Yellow Line'.
- 17 November 2025UN Security Council resolution 2803 endorses the Board of Peace and authorizes an International Stabilization Force.
- 14 January 2026US announces the start of phase two; Israel recovers the last deceased hostage's remains on 26 January.
- 15 May 2026Israeli strike kills Hamas military commander Izz al-Din al-Haddad in Gaza City.
- 6 July 2026Hamas announces the resignation of its civil administration; Khalil al-Hayya is elected overall leader on 20 July.
- 9 August 2026Netanyahu rejects the Board of Peace's 15-point disarmament and withdrawal roadmap announced on 31 July; Islamic Jihad had accepted it.
- 15 October 2026Israel halts entry of commercial goods into Gaza; a day earlier it blocked a plan for a 150-strong International Stabilization Force base.
Casualties and displacement in detail
| Measure | Low | High | What the figure covers · source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total killed (cumulative) | 77,735 | 129,000 | Low = Gaza Health Ministry 74,480 killed (19 Oct 2026; a hospital-registered count that excludes thousands still missing under rubble) + 1,209 Palestinians killed in the West Bank (WHO health-cluster figure cited by Wikipedia; OCHA: 1,064 to 8 Mar 2026) + 2,046 Israelis killed on all fronts since 7 Oct 2023 (Israeli Foreign Ministry via Wikipedia, 27 Sept 2026). High (rounded) adds the upper end of academic excess-death studies for Gaza, which estimate 100,000–126,000 violent deaths (Max Planck Institute, Nov 2025) and roughly 8,000 missing under rubble. Ministry and study figures use different methods and should not be averaged. en.wikipedia.org ↗ |
| Combatants killed | 10,052 | 25,152 | Palestinian militants: a classified IDF database analysed in May 2025 named about 8,900 killed combatants, whereas the IDF claimed 'more than 24,000 militants' killed on 3 Oct 2026; ACLED and other analysts consider Israeli figures inflated. Israeli security personnel: 1,152 killed on all fronts since 7 Oct 2023 (Defense Ministry, Oct 2025), including about 380 soldiers killed on 7 Oct itself. Neither figure is verifiable. en.wikipedia.org ↗ |
| Civilians killed | 50,000 | 66,000 | Derived: Gaza Health Ministry total (74,480) minus the range of militant-death estimates (8,900–24,000); the ministry does not distinguish combatants and reports about 21,600 children (29%) among the dead. Israeli civilians killed: about 815–828 on 7 Oct 2023 plus a smaller number since. Deaths from hunger, disease and lack of medical care are additional and only partly captured (the ministry recorded several hundred malnutrition deaths in 2025). aljazeera.com ↗ |
| Wounded | 175,539 | – | Gaza Health Ministry: 175,539 wounded (19 Oct 2026), including 5,026+ injured since the ceasefire; WHO estimates about 24% have life-changing injuries. Israeli wounded (several thousand soldiers and civilians) and West Bank wounded (1,870+ in 2026 alone per OCHA) are not added. sana.sy ↗ |
| Deaths in the last 12 months | 1,600 | 6,300 | Low ≈ 1,522 Palestinians killed in Gaza since the 10 Oct 2025 ceasefire (Gaza Health Ministry, 19 Oct 2026) plus roughly 100 killed in the West Bank. High = increase in the Gaza Health Ministry cumulative count between 19 Oct 2025 (68,159) and 19 Oct 2026 (74,480), which includes bodies recovered and retroactively verified deaths from earlier phases. UCDP's calendar-2025 figure (~14,400) covers the heavy fighting before the ceasefire. english.palinfo.com ↗ |
| Internally displaced | 1,900,000 | 1,980,000 | OCHA: about 1.98 million people, roughly 90% of Gaza's population, displaced; 82% of structures destroyed; 279,000 people living in flood-prone sites or unsafe buildings (Sept 2026). West Bank: tens of thousands displaced by Operation Iron Wall and demolitions. ochaopt.org ↗ |
| Refugees abroad | – | – | Gaza's borders are sealed; only small numbers (medical evacuees, dual nationals) have left via Rafah since it reopened on 2 Feb 2026. No reliable figure. en.wikipedia.org ↗ |
Intensity classification: Gaza Health Ministry: about 1,520 Palestinians killed since the 10 October 2025 ceasefire took effect; the cumulative Gaza toll rose from 68,159 (19 Oct 2025) to 74,480 (19 Oct 2026), a difference that also includes retroactively registered deaths and bodies recovered from rubble. UCDP counted ~14,400 deaths in the Israel–Hamas war in calendar 2025. West Bank: at least 79 Palestinians killed in 2026 (OCHA, to early September)..
Countries affected
Frequently asked questions
Who is fighting in the Israel–Hamas war (Gaza) and West Bank violence?
Israel (Israel Defense Forces, Shin Bet, Israel Border Police), supported by United States (military aid, munitions, diplomatic backing), Germany (arms exports); against Hamas and allied Palestinian factions (Hamas (Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades), Palestinian Islamic Jihad (al-Quds Brigades), Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades), Popular Resistance Committees), supported by Iran (funding, weapons, training; reported), Qatar (political mediation and past financial transfers), Turkey (political support).
How many people have been killed?
Estimates range from 77,735–129,000 killed as of 19 October 2026. Low = Gaza Health Ministry 74,480 killed (19 Oct 2026; a hospital-registered count that excludes thousands still missing under rubble) + 1,209 Palestinians killed in the West Bank (WHO health-cluster figure cited by Wikipedia; OCHA: 1,064 to 8 Mar 2026) + 2,046 Israelis killed on all fronts since 7 Oct 2023 (Israeli Foreign Ministry via Wikipedia, 27 Sept 2026). High (rounded) adds the upper end of academic excess-death studies for Gaza, which estimate 100,000–126,000 violent deaths (Max Planck Institute, Nov 2025) and roughly 8,000 missing under rubble. Ministry and study figures use different methods and should not be averaged. Civilian deaths are put at 50,000–66,000. Figures come from the sources listed on this page and differ in method; see the caveats above.
Is the Israel–Hamas war (Gaza) and West Bank violence still ongoing in 2026?
Status as of 19 October 2026: Ceasefire / truce — The war that began with Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel devastated the Gaza Strip: the Gaza Health Ministry counts 74,480 Palestinians killed and 175,539 wounded, about 90% of the population is displaced and most buildings are destroyed. A US-brokered ceasefire under Trump's 20-point plan took effect on 10 October 2025 and all living hostages were freed, but by October 2026 the plan's second phase (Hamas disarmament, Israeli withdrawal, an International Stabilization Force) is stalled, Israel still controls a large part of the Strip behind the 'Yellow Line' and conducts near-daily strikes, and settler and military violence in the West Bank is at record levels.
When did it start?
The current phase began on 7 October 2023, but the underlying conflict dates back to 1948 — 3 years ago.
Sources
- UN OCHA oPt — Humanitarian Situation Report, 2 October 2026 ochaopt.org
- CFR Global Conflict Tracker — Israeli-Palestinian Conflict cfr.org
- Security Council Report — October 2026 Monthly Forecast (Middle East) securitycouncilreport.org
- Al Jazeera — Three years of the Gaza war in numbers (7 Oct 2026) aljazeera.com
- Wikipedia — Casualties of the Gaza war (index of ministry, IDF and academic estimates) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia — Gaza peace plan (20-point plan, Board of Peace, ISF) en.wikipedia.org
- UCDP 2025 data (via NPR/GPB report) gpb.org
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