Death, damage, displacement: The cost of Gaza war in 3D

After 736 days, the war in Gaza appears to have come to an end. The last 20 surviving hostages held by Hamas in Gaza have finally returned to Israel and reunited with their families.

For the first time since its founding in 1948, Israel sits with a sense of security. Hamas is weakened, Iran’s nuclear threat has waned, and ties with Gulf Arab states, though uneasy, hold steady. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also cemented his alliance with President Donald Trump.

Almost two years after declaring war, Israeli PM Netanyahu has declared victory.

But, at what cost?

The war in Gaza unleashed brutality beyond measure. Israel’s leadership has been accused of genocide and war crimes, and disdained condemned by some of the world’s most powerful countries.

At least 67,000 people in Gaza were killed and 169,000 injured, about one in every 33 people, or roughly 3 percent of the pre-war population, wiped out over the last two years. In total, casualties accounted for nearly 10 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million people before the war.

At least 20,000 children are among the dead, or one child killed every hour for the past 24 months.

This may be a significant undercount. The Palestinian Ministry of Health counts deaths based on people brought to hospitals or officially recorded. The true number is unknown and is likely much higher.

At least 459 people, including 154 children, have died due to starvation.

Nearly one in four children suffers from malnutrition, and one in five babies is born prematurely or underweight.

Satellite-based damage assessment by American researchers Corey Scher and Jamon Lee shows that at least 198,883 buildings – roughly 60 percent of all structures in the Gaza Strip – have likely been damaged since the start of the war through October 2, 2025.

The economic cost of the war for Israel has reached approximately USD 62 billion, or Rs 5.5 lakh crore.

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