, Jan. 31 -- Israel has for the first time acknowledged the Gaza death toll compiled by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, which estimates over 70,000 killed since the war began on October 7, 2023.

Thousands more remain missing under rubble, and at least 440 people have died of starvation after Israel restricted aid access, reports Al Jazeera.

During the conflict, Israel repeatedly denied or downplayed Palestinian figures, issuing its own fluctuating statistics while accusing Gaza authorities of exaggeration. Investigations and eyewitness reports, however, confirmed that a vast majority of those killed were civilians, including children and women. Israeli forces were also implicated in high-profile killings, such as five-year-old Hind ...