Advocates are urging Canada to acknowledge a genocide in Gaza after a new report revealed that Israeli forces have killed mostly civilians in the Israel-Hamas conflict. A collaborative investigation by +972 Magazine, Local Call, and The Guardian, using a classified Israeli military intelligence database, disclosed that by May 2025, 8,900 fighters from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad were listed as dead or “probably dead.” Of the 53,000 Palestinians killed in IDF attacks since October 7, 2023, only 17% were fighters, indicating that 83% of the deceased were civilians.
The civilian death toll reported in the investigation surpasses that of many modern conflicts. For instance, in the Sudanese civil war, about half of the casualties were civilians, while in Russia’s current war in Ukraine, the civilian death rate is around 10%.
The investigation’s findings align with previous studies and reports indicating significantly higher civilian death counts than those claimed by Israeli officials. The IDF disputed the report’s numbers, calling them incorrect without providing alternative figures.
Airwars, a UK-based nonprofit, documented an unprecedented civilian death toll in Gaza following the conflict’s outbreak in October 2023. The organization reported over 5,000 civilian deaths, including a substantial number of children, with a significant portion occurring in residential areas.
Experts suggest that the 83% civilian death rate may be an underestimation since the IDF’s definition of militants includes journalists and political members of Hamas, violating international law. Calls for Canada to recognize the ongoing violence in Gaza as genocide have intensified, with advocates emphasizing the severity of civilian harm and urging governmental action.
Allegations of genocide in Gaza have been met with denials from Israel, despite reports of genocidal rhetoric and alarming military tactics. Studies have cast doubt on the official death toll provided by Gaza’s health ministry, suggesting that the actual number of casualties, including indirect deaths, could be much higher.