Gaza, September 4, 2025: The death toll from the nearly two-year-long war in Gaza has risen to more than 64,000 Palestinians, local health officials said Thursday, as Hamas and Israel hardened their opposing positions on a possible end to the conflict triggered by Hamas’s October 2023 assault.
Overnight Israeli strikes killed 28 people, mostly women and children, according to hospitals in the enclave. Shifa Hospital in Gaza City reported receiving 25 bodies, including nine children, six women, and a 10-day-old infant, after tents sheltering displaced families were hit. Three others were killed in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
Hamas said late Wednesday that it was prepared to return all 48 remaining hostages — around 20 of them believed alive — in exchange for a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the reopening of border crossings, and the start of Gaza’s reconstruction.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office rejected the offer as “spin,” insisting the war would continue until all hostages are freed, Hamas is disarmed, and Israel secures full security control of Gaza.
The Israeli military has not commented on the latest strikes but maintains that it targets only militants and blames civilian casualties on Hamas’s presence in densely populated areas.
The Gaza Health Ministry said 64,231 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, including around 400 recently confirmed dead after being previously listed as missing. It added that women and children account for about half of the fatalities. The ministry is run by Hamas but its data is regarded by the UN and international agencies as broadly reliable.
Hamas’s October 7 attack killed around 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and saw 251 hostages abducted. While many have since been released, dozens remain in captivity.
