LONDON: The Israeli military has admitted that the number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza conflict has been about 70,000 — in line with figures from the Gaza Health Ministry, Israeli media reported on Thursday.
Throughout the two-year conflict, Israeli officials refused to accept the numbers provided by the ministry, despite them being widely regarded as accurate by international bodies, including the UN.
A senior security official has now confirmed the overall figure, but said the actual breakdown of the toll was still under review, The Times of Israel reported.
The official claimed the proportion of civilians to militants killed was unknown, along with how many people had died directly from the fighting.
The official also rejected the ministry’s figures stating that 440 Palestinians had died of malnutrition and starvation during the conflict.
