Gaza Residents Endure Devastation as War Reaches Two Years
As the war reaches two years, Gaza residents face staggering devastation: Gaza health authorities and aid agencies say more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, nearly 170,000 wounded (with over 40,000 life‑altering injuries), thousands displaced, and large numbers unaccounted for — the Gaza ministry estimates about 6,000 buried under rubble and roughly 3,600 reported missing while the ICRC lists some 7,000 unresolved cases. The conflict has also exacted a heavy toll on Israelis (estimates of deaths range from roughly 1,200 to nearly 2,000), with dozens of hostages still held (48 remain, about 20 believed alive), traumatic survivor accounts, international condemnation including from the Vatican, and wider regional escalation.
Humanitarian
War & Conflict
International
📌 Key Facts
- Two years into the war, Gaza health authorities and international agencies report more than 67,000 Palestinians killed, nearly 170,000 wounded, and over 40,000 people with life‑altering injuries (WHO cited).
- Israeli losses and hostages: nearly 2,000 Israelis killed since Oct. 7; the Oct. 7 attack itself killed about 1,200 and abducted roughly 250 people — 148 returned alive, 59 bodies recovered, 48 hostages remain and about 20 of those are believed to be alive.
- Thousands remain missing or buried: Gaza’s Health Ministry estimates about 6,000 people still believed under rubble and roughly 3,600 reported missing (only ~200 investigated), while the ICRC lists at least 7,000 unresolved missing cases.
- Widespread humanitarian impact — per‑capita framing used by reporters: about 1 in 10 people has been killed or injured, nine in 10 displaced, and roughly 4 in 100 children have lost one or both parents; Gaza’s Health Ministry also says more than 2,000 people seeking food have been killed.
- Vatican criticism: Cardinal Pietro Parolin publicly called Israel’s Gaza offensive an 'ongoing massacre,' warned that even legitimate self‑defense must observe proportionality, and questioned the legitimacy of continuing to supply weapons used against civilians.
- Regional escalation: reporting says Israel has struck eight countries since Oct. 7, and that in June the United States joined Israel in a 12‑day campaign against Iran’s military and nuclear program, illustrating how the conflict has broadened across the region.
- Commemoration and domestic divisions in Israel: thousands visited the Nova (Reim) music‑festival memorial (including a moment of silence at 6:29 a.m., the time the Oct. 7 attack began); separate family‑organized and government ceremonies highlight political splits over how to mark the anniversary and handle the hostage issue.
- First‑person captivity accounts: freed hostage Aviva Siegel described being shot, taken underground, beaten, starved and seeing other captives abused; Aviva was held for 51 days and her husband Keith for about 484 days.
📚 Contextual Background
- Israel enforces a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
- A 2025 U.S. peace plan linked a hostage release to a reciprocal exchange involving Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
- U.S. officials in 2025 described a two-phase approach to ceasefire negotiations in which an initial hostage release would be followed by an Israeli military pullback to a previously held boundary position, while decisions about Gaza's future governing structure could be negotiated concurrently.
📰 Sources (7)
Reporter's Notebook: Hamas Oct 7 attacks survivor recalls Gaza captivity 2 years later
New information:
- First‑person interview quotes from freed hostage Aviva Siegel describing being shot, taken underground, beaten, starved and seeing Hamas militants abuse other captives
- Specific captivity durations for the Siegels: Aviva held 51 days and Keith held approximately 484 days
- Reiterated and specific casualty/hostage counts referenced in the interview: more than 1,200 Israelis killed, 251 initially taken, 48 remain and 20 believed alive
Israel marks 2 years since Oct. 7 attack as Gaza war grinds on
New information:
- On‑the‑ground memorial details at the Nova (Reim) music‑festival site: thousands visited, survivors played the same track and observed a moment of silence at 6:29 a.m., the exact time the Oct. 7 attack began.
- Report highlights split memorial plans: a family‑organized memorial in Tel Aviv for the evening and a separate government ceremony scheduled next week according to the Hebrew calendar, illustrating domestic political divisions over handling the war and hostage issue.
- Article reiterates specific Oct. 7 attack counts (≈1,200 killed; 251 abducted) and states 48 hostages remain, about 20 believed alive — giving a concise hostage tally tied to the anniversary.
- Text states the United States 'joined Israel in attacking Iran’s military and nuclear program in a 12‑day war in June,' an explicit reference to U.S. military involvement that frames wider regional escalation.
How 2 years of war have devastated Palestinian lives in Gaza
New information:
- Detailed per‑capita human‑impact framing: 'out of every 10 people, one has been killed or injured; nine are displaced; out of every 100 children, four have lost either one or both parents.'
- A specific count that 'more than 2,000 people seeking food have been killed,' cited to Gaza’s Health Ministry in the piece.
- Explicit updated totals reiterated: 'more than 67,000 Palestinians killed' and 'nearly 170,000 wounded,' with more than 40,000 described as having life‑altering injuries (WHO).
Thousands in Gaza are missing 2 years into the war. Tormented families search for clues
New information:
- Gaza Health Ministry reports about 6,000 people still believed buried under rubble and roughly 3,600 others reported missing to the ministry (only ~200 investigated so far).
- ICRC reports at least 7,000 unresolved missing cases on its own list (separate from rubble counts).
- On‑the‑ground human detail: first‑person account from Mohammad al‑Najjar about his missing 23‑year‑old son and repeated displacements (nine camps).
How two years of war in Gaza have changed the Middle East forever
New information:
- Aggregate casualty and hostage tallies reiterated and summarized (nearly 2,000 Israelis killed; more than 67,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza; hostage counts: 255 taken, 148 returned alive, 59 bodies retrieved, 20 of remaining 48 believed alive).
- Assertion that 'Israel has struck eight countries in total since Oct. 7' as a concise regional metric of the war's cross‑border scope.
- Regional political outcomes claimed in the piece (examples cited: 'In Syria, the Assad regime ... fell to rebels after 50 years,' and a claimed major degradation of Iran's nuclear program after '12 days of bombing by Israel, with U.S. participation').
Pope’s top diplomat blasts Israel’s Gaza offensive as ‘ongoing massacre,’ condemns Hamas attacks
New information:
- Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Pietro Parolin publicly labeled Israel’s Gaza offensive an 'ongoing massacre' and warned that even legitimate self‑defense must observe proportionality.
- Parolin explicitly questioned the legitimacy of continuing to supply weapons used against civilians.
- Article cites Reuters reporting that Hamas‑run Gaza health authorities put Gaza deaths at over 67,000.