On February 10, 2026, Hamas’s Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip reported 72,037 Palestinian dead since the outbreak of the war on October 7, 2023. In previous articles, I have addressed the problematic nature of Hamas’s reporting on the number of fatalities and casualties, highlighting the lack of reliability and internal logic. However, on February 8, Hamas’s Ministry of Social Development announced on its Facebook page the distribution of a financial grant totaling more than 9.6 million NIS to 19,306 widows of “martyrs.”
The report from the Ministry of Social Development effectively undermines the “war of numbers” that Hamas has meticulously conducted since the outset of the war and substantiates the claim of a phenomenal achievement by the IDF regarding collateral damage, namely harm to uninvolved civilians.
Hamas’s Ministry of Health systematically and deliberately refrains from distinguishing between those killed by IDF fire and those killed by Hamas fire or by other Palestinian organizations (the failed Islamic Jihad rocket that struck Al-Ahli Hospital in southern Gaza on October 17, 2023, being one example). Moreover, the list includes all those who died of natural causes, old age, or illness. According to data from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, approximately 6,500 people die each year in the Gaza Strip.
Accordingly, the number 19,306 refers only to Hamas operatives killed in the war. Given that thousands of additional terrorists from Islamic Jihad and other smaller organizations were also killed, and that additional widows of Hamas operatives are reportedly seeking to receive the grant, it’s reasonable to assume that the total number of terrorist operatives from all organizations killed in the war reaches about 30,000.
If one subtracts from the total number of reported casualties—72,037—those killed by Hamas and other organizations, whether as a result of failed rockets or for other reasons, as well as deaths unrelated to the war, the number of about 42,000 civilians allegedly killed by IDF fire necessarily declines. Although it’s difficult to estimate the precise number, even a rough estimate suggests a casualty ratio between terrorists and uninvolved civilians ranging from 1:1 to 1:1.7. There’s no doubt that this is the lowest ratio documented in comparisons with other urban wars in the Middle East and beyond, and that the estimate closely aligns with the assessments of John Spencer.
The State of Israel and the IDF cannot afford to despair. They must act with renewed vigor, across the broadest possible range and on every media and other relevant platform, in order to undermine Hamas’s narrative and erode its standing and credibility both internationally and domestically, in the Gaza Strip and in the Palestinian arena in general. The battle for perception is an integral part of the war against Hamas, and the cognitive domain must not be left to Hamas’s control.
On February 10, 2026, Hamas’s Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip reported 72,037 Palestinian dead since the outbreak of the war on October 7, 2023. In previous articles, I have addressed the problematic nature of Hamas’s reporting on the number of fatalities and casualties, highlighting the lack of reliability and internal logic. However, on February 8, Hamas’s Ministry of Social Development announced on its Facebook page the distribution of a financial grant totaling more than 9.6 million NIS to 19,306 widows of “martyrs.”
The report from the Ministry of Social Development effectively undermines the “war of numbers” that Hamas has meticulously conducted since the outset of the war and substantiates the claim of a phenomenal achievement by the IDF regarding collateral damage, namely harm to uninvolved civilians.
Hamas’s Ministry of Health systematically and deliberately refrains from distinguishing between those killed by IDF fire and those killed by Hamas fire or by other Palestinian organizations (the failed Islamic Jihad rocket that struck Al-Ahli Hospital in southern Gaza on October 17, 2023, being one example). Moreover, the list includes all those who died of natural causes, old age, or illness. According to data from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, approximately 6,500 people die each year in the Gaza Strip.
Accordingly, the number 19,306 refers only to Hamas operatives killed in the war. Given that thousands of additional terrorists from Islamic Jihad and other smaller organizations were also killed, and that additional widows of Hamas operatives are reportedly seeking to receive the grant, it’s reasonable to assume that the total number of terrorist operatives from all organizations killed in the war reaches about 30,000.
If one subtracts from the total number of reported casualties—72,037—those killed by Hamas and other organizations, whether as a result of failed rockets or for other reasons, as well as deaths unrelated to the war, the number of about 42,000 civilians allegedly killed by IDF fire necessarily declines. Although it’s difficult to estimate the precise number, even a rough estimate suggests a casualty ratio between terrorists and uninvolved civilians ranging from 1:1 to 1:1.7. There’s no doubt that this is the lowest ratio documented in comparisons with other urban wars in the Middle East and beyond, and that the estimate closely aligns with the assessments of John Spencer.
The State of Israel and the IDF cannot afford to despair. They must act with renewed vigor, across the broadest possible range and on every media and other relevant platform, in order to undermine Hamas’s narrative and erode its standing and credibility both internationally and domestically, in the Gaza Strip and in the Palestinian arena in general. The battle for perception is an integral part of the war against Hamas, and the cognitive domain must not be left to Hamas’s control.