Three years after the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel triggered the devastating Gaza war, more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 175,000 wounded, while the densely populated enclave has been transformed by mass displacement, destruction and the collapse of essential services.
The anniversary, being marked on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, comes nearly one year after a ceasefire was announced, but the truce has failed to bring an end to violence, with Israeli airstrikes and other military operations continuing in parts of Gaza.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health figures reported by Al Jazeera, at least 74,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 175,000 injured since the war began.
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The ministry’s tally records deaths reported through hospitals and official registration systems, meaning the actual death toll could be higher because thousands of people remain missing or are believed to be buried beneath destroyed buildings.
The Washington Post, citing Gaza’s Health Ministry, put the death toll at 74,245 Palestinians as of October 2026, including more than 1,400 people killed since the October 2025 ceasefire.
The staggering figures mean that roughly one in every 30 people in Gaza’s pre-war population has been killed, while about one in 13 has been injured, according to Al Jazeera’s analysis of the health ministry data.
The World Health Organization has estimated that about 24 per cent of those injured have suffered life-changing injuries requiring long-term rehabilitation, with children accounting for roughly a quarter of those cases.
A War That Began With October 7
The conflict began after Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups launched a major attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
The United Nations says more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed, while 251 people were abducted and taken hostage to Gaza.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, marking the third anniversary, condemned the killing and abduction of civilians and said nothing could justify the atrocities committed that day.
But he also stressed that the hostilities that followed had produced massive Palestinian loss of life, displacement and destruction and called for an end to the suffering of civilians in Gaza.
Three years later, the conflict has therefore left two deeply traumatic anniversaries intertwined — Israelis remembering the deaths and hostage-taking of October 7, while Palestinians mourn tens of thousands killed during the subsequent Israeli military campaign.
Reuters reported on Wednesday that Israelis were holding memorial events for victims of the 2023 attack while Palestinians in Gaza were marking the anniversary amid the ruins of destroyed communities and the continuing consequences of the war.
Gaza Reduced To Ruins
The physical destruction across Gaza has reached extraordinary levels.
Satellite imagery reviewed by the Associated Press shows that Rafah, once home to around 250,000 people, has been almost completely erased, while other towns and neighbourhoods have suffered extensive demolition.
AP reported that Israeli military forces have continued demolishing structures and establishing military positions despite the ceasefire, while Israel now controls more than 60 per cent of Gaza’s territory.
Reuters similarly reported that Israel controls around two-thirds of the enclave, leaving most of Gaza’s approximately two million residents concentrated in the remaining area, many living in tents or among bombed-out buildings.
The destruction has affected virtually every aspect of civilian life — homes, schools, hospitals, roads, businesses, water systems, electricity infrastructure and public institutions.
Al Jazeera, citing UN humanitarian assessments, reported that 82 per cent of structures in Gaza have been destroyed, while around 1.98 million Palestinians — approximately 90 per cent of the population — have been displaced.
Healthcare System On The Brink
Gaza’s healthcare system has suffered catastrophic damage.
Al Jazeera, citing the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, reported that 94 per cent of hospitals and clinics have been damaged, with only 42 of 666 health facilities still functioning.
Another Al Jazeera report citing the WHO said all 36 hospitals in Gaza had sustained damage and only 19 were functioning, none at full capacity. Medical facilities continue to face shortages of medicines, equipment, fuel and specialised treatment.
The consequences extend beyond those directly wounded by Israeli attacks.
Patients suffering from cancer, kidney disease and other chronic illnesses have struggled to obtain treatment, while thousands requiring specialised care outside Gaza remain in need of medical evacuation.
The WHO has also warned that overcrowding, inadequate shelter, poor sanitation and restricted access to clean water are increasing the risk of disease outbreaks.
Children And Education Devastated
The war has also created what humanitarian organisations describe as a generational crisis for Gaza’s children.
At least 21,000 children are among those reported killed, according to Al Jazeera’s analysis of Gaza Health Ministry figures.
The education system has been similarly devastated.
Al Jazeera, citing OCHA, reported that about 93 per cent of schools require rebuilding, while more than 700,000 students have been deprived of formal education.
At least 63 university buildings have also been destroyed, while surviving educational facilities have in many cases been converted into shelters for displaced families.
The prolonged interruption of schooling threatens to leave an entire generation of Palestinian children facing severe educational and psychological consequences long after the fighting eventually ends.
Water, Shelter And Food Crisis
For millions of Palestinians, survival has become a daily struggle.
Nearly half of Gaza’s population is surviving on less than six litres of water per person per day for drinking and cooking, according to figures cited by Al Jazeera. That is far below the emergency minimum of 20 litres per person per day.
The UN has also reported that the overwhelming majority of Gaza’s population remains in urgent need of shelter and basic household assistance, with many families living in tents or makeshift structures.
The destruction of homes has forced families to repeatedly move from one location to another, often without adequate protection from extreme weather, disease or renewed military attacks.
Ceasefire Under Severe Strain
The October 2025 ceasefire brought an end to the large-scale phase of the war but has not produced lasting peace.
The UN says Israeli airstrikes, shelling, drone attacks and ground operations have continued, while Hamas and other armed groups have not disarmed. Around two-thirds of Gaza remains inaccessible or subject to severe restrictions, according to a recent UN report.
Al Jazeera reported that since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, 2025, at least 1,460 Palestinians have been killed and 5,116 wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
An Al Jazeera analysis found that Israeli attacks were reported on 325 of the 361 days following the ceasefire, leaving only 36 days without reported attacks, deaths or injuries. The United States, however, continues to regard the ceasefire as holding.
Israel maintains that its military actions are directed against Hamas and other armed groups and that it is operating within the ceasefire framework, while Hamas has accused Israel of repeatedly violating the agreement.
The unresolved question of Hamas disarmament and Israeli military withdrawal remains one of the central obstacles to moving from a fragile ceasefire to a durable political settlement.
Journalists Among The Dead
The war has also become one of the deadliest conflicts in modern history for journalists.
Al Jazeera reported that nearly 300 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023, including 12 members of its own staff, according to the Shireen Abu Akleh Observatory.
The killing of journalists has repeatedly drawn condemnation from international media organisations and press-freedom groups, while Israel has generally maintained that some journalists killed during military operations were connected to armed groups.
Foreign journalists have also faced severe restrictions on entering Gaza, leaving Palestinian reporters and locally based international media staff carrying much of the burden of documenting the conflict.
Economic Collapse
The destruction has pushed Gaza’s economy towards collapse.
Al Jazeera, citing UNCTAD figures, reported that 92 per cent of Gaza’s economic establishments had been damaged or destroyed, while unemployment had reached 78 per cent.
Agriculture and industry have fallen to only a fraction of their pre-war output, while construction has almost completely collapsed.
The result is an economy in which millions of people depend heavily on humanitarian assistance while possessing few opportunities to earn income or rebuild their lives.
International Response And The Search For Peace
The international community has repeatedly called for an end to the conflict, protection of civilians and unrestricted humanitarian access.
UN Secretary-General Guterres said the October 2025 ceasefire had brought some relief but had not yet delivered adequate humanitarian assistance, security or a credible route towards recovery and peace.
He called on all parties to implement their commitments, move to the next phase of the ceasefire, respect international law and make the truce permanent.
Yet the political obstacles remain enormous.
Israel continues to demand security guarantees and the disarmament of Hamas, while Hamas has resisted surrendering its weapons and has demanded an Israeli withdrawal and guarantees for Palestinian political rights and reconstruction.
The future of Gaza therefore remains tied to several unresolved questions: who will govern the enclave, whether Hamas will disarm, whether Israel will withdraw from occupied areas, who will finance reconstruction, how displaced Palestinians will return home and whether a wider Israeli-Palestinian political settlement can finally be achieved.
Three Years Of Loss
For Palestinians in Gaza, October 7, 2026 is not simply another anniversary.
It marks three years of death, displacement, destruction and uncertainty.
More than 74,000 Palestinians killed. More than 175,000 wounded. Tens of thousands of homes destroyed. Millions displaced. Hospitals and schools devastated. An economy shattered. And an entire generation of children growing up amid war.
For Israelis, the anniversary remains inseparable from the trauma of October 7, 2023, when more than 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.
For the wider Middle East and the international community, the three-year conflict has become a defining humanitarian and political crisis, with consequences extending far beyond Gaza’s borders.
As the third anniversary is observed, the central question is no longer simply how the war began, but whether the region can finally move from a fragile cessation of large-scale fighting to a permanent peace capable of protecting both Palestinian and Israeli civilians.
The United Nations says the answer requires a permanent ceasefire, humanitarian assistance at scale, respect for international law and a credible political path towards lasting peace in which Israelis and Palestinians can live with security, rights and dignity.
For Gaza, however, peace will mean more than stopping the bombs. It will mean finding the missing, recovering bodies from the rubble, treating the wounded, rebuilding hospitals and schools, restoring water and electricity, returning displaced families to their homes and reconstructing a society devastated after three years of war.