Israel accepted the Gaza health ministry's death toll number for the first time, according to an Israeli media report published on Friday, citing military officials. 

Gaza's health officials say that 71,000 Palestinians were killed since the war began, with more than 480 killed in Israeli attacks since the start of a US-brokered ceasefire in ‍October last year. More than 470 Israeli soldiers have died during the war, according to Israeli figures.

The figures on Palestinian deaths do not distinguish between civilians and militants. People buried in the rubble or those who died due to effects of the war, such as illness or starvation, are also not included in the count.

Israel had long disputed the figures from Gaza's health ministry, even though they had been accepted as credible by organizations like the UN. 

The Israeli army had argued that the health ministry could not be trusted because it was run by the Hamas militant group, which is considered a terrorist organization by Israel, as well as the US and Germany.

Israel's war in Gaza was triggered after an attack in Israel on October 7, 2023 by Hamas militants that left some 1,200 Israelis dead, most of them civilians, with over 200 kindapped.

Israel will analyze the data

Israel's Ynet news website and other leading outlets, such as newspaper Haaretz, reported the Israeli admission of the Palestinian death toll during a briefing.

According to Ynet, a government official said that in their estimation "around ‍70,000 Gazans were killed during the war, not including missing persons." 

"We are currently doing the work of distinguishing between terrorists and those who were not involved," the official was quoted as saying, as the government pledged to analyze the data.

But the Israeli army did not publicly back up the media reports of the briefing. IDF International Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said on X that the figures still " do not reflect official IDF data."

"Any publication or report on this matter will be released ‌through official and ‌orderly channels," Shoshani wrote.

Rafah crossing to be reopened

Following the recovery of the body of the last missing hostage earlier this week, Israel said on Friday that it wouldreopen the pedestrian portion of the Rafah crossing between the Gaza strip and Egypt.

The move marked an important step in complying with the US-brokered ceasefire.

Israel's Coordinator of Government Affairs in the Territories (COGAT), the agency coordinating aid to Gaza, said that "limited movement of people only" would be allowed through the Rafah crossing in both directions.

According to COGAT, European Union border patrol agents will supervise the crossing, while both Israel and Egypt will vet individuals for exit and entry.

The Rafah crossing had been shuttered since it was seized by Israel in May 2024. Israel argued that the crossing was closed to stop cross-border arms smuggling by Hamas.

Edited by: Roshni Majumdar