Israel's military has accepted that around 70,000 Palestinians were killed during the war in Gaza, after having earlier cast doubt on death tolls reported by the enclave's health officials, Israeli media reported on Friday citing senior military officials.
The United Nations has long accepted death tolls recorded by health authorities in Gaza as accurate. Israel has cast doubt on the figures, arguing that the health ministry in the enclave was run by Hamas and could not be trusted.
The Gaza health ministry publishes names and ages of those it records as killed. It now says the toll stands at over 71,000, including more than 480 killed in Israeli attacks since the start of a US-brokered ceasefire in October.
It says many thousands more are still buried beneath the rubble of Gaza's destroyed cities. It does not distinguish between civilians and fighters but has identified most of the dead as women or children.
Citing a briefing on Thursday with senior military officials, Israel's Ynet news website and other leading outlets reported that the military had adopted a similar estimate.
"In our estimation, around 70,000 Gazans were killed during the war, not including missing persons," Ynet cited an official as saying.
"We are currently doing the work of distinguishing between terrorists and those who were not involved," the official was quoted as saying.
Asked for comment, Israel's military said that "the details published do not reflect official (Israel Defence Forces) data."
It added: "Any publication or report on this matter will be released through official and orderly channels."
The October 7, 2023, Hamas attack that triggered the war killed around 1,200 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to Israeli tallies. More than 470 Israeli soldiers have died during the war.
