Researchers say the death toll from the first eight months of the genocide may have undercounted 26,000 deaths.

The war itself began with a Hamas assault that resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 Israelis and the kidnapping of 251 hostages. In response, Israel launched an extensive military campaign against Gaza. The Ministry of Health reports that 46,006 people, most of them civilians, have been killed as a result of the Israeli military offensive.