A former head of the Israeli military has acknowledged that more than 200,000 Palestinians have been killed or injured during the nearly two-year war in Gaza.
Retired general Herzi Halevi, who led the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for the first 17 months of the conflict, made the remarks earlier this week at a community meeting in southern Israel. Halevi said the figure represented over 10% of Gaza’s 2.2 million population and added that “not once” had legal advice limited Israel’s military operations.
The Gaza health ministry reports 64,718 Palestinians killed and 163,859 injured since the war began on 7 October 2023. Thousands more are believed to be buried under rubble. While Israel has often questioned the ministry’s numbers, international humanitarian agencies have generally found them reliable. A leaked Israeli intelligence assessment earlier this year suggested that more than 80% of those killed were civilians.
About 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the initial Hamas attack that triggered the war. Israel’s campaign has included repeated airstrikes and ground offensives, with at least 40 people reported dead in the latest attacks around Gaza City on Friday.
Halevi, who stepped down as IDF chief in March, described the conflict as one in which Israel “took the gloves off from the first minute.” He said military lawyers were involved in operations but insisted they never restricted his decisions. He suggested their main role was to help defend Israel’s actions internationally.
Israeli human rights lawyer Michael Sfard said Halevi’s comments showed that legal advisers acted largely as “rubber stamps,” while local media reported that Halevi’s successor, Eyal Zamir, also ignored legal advice on civilian displacement orders.
The IDF has not publicly responded to Halevi’s remarks. The war continues with no sign of a ceasefire, and humanitarian agencies warn that the casualty toll is likely to rise as conditions worsen across the Gaza Strip.
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