The Palestinian death toll from the Israel-Hamas war has exceeded 73,000, Gaza's Health Ministry announced Sunday, as a ceasefire agreement reached in October remains in effect but largely stalled over implementation disputes.

Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the ministry's records department, and Hamza Salem from the ministry's public relations department confirmed the latest count of 73,001 deaths since the conflict began. On Sunday alone, five deaths were recorded: two in Khan Younis, one in central Gaza, and two from earlier wounds. More than 173,200 people have been wounded since the war started.

The conflict was triggered by a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, that killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel and resulted in 251 hostages being taken. The Gaza Health Ministry, which operates under the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed records that UN agencies and independent experts generally consider reliable, though it does not distinguish between civilian and militant casualties. Officials say women and children comprise roughly half of all fatalities.

Despite the ceasefire, Israel has continued conducting strikes within Gaza, stating these target Hamas and other militants who pose threats or constitute responses to ceasefire violations. Five Israeli soldiers have been killed since the truce began. Both sides accuse each other of violating the agreement while maintaining it remains in effect.

The U.S.-brokered ceasefire ended full-scale military operations and secured the return of remaining hostages. However, other provisions have stalled as Hamas refuses to disarm and Israeli forces have advanced rather than withdrawn from Gaza. Nickolay Mladenov, the top diplomat overseeing the ceasefire, stated that progress on reconstruction, troop withdrawals, and establishing a new Palestinian government is blocked by the deadlock over Hamas disarmament.

The war displaced most of Gaza's population of over 2 million people, left large areas in ruins, and created widespread shortages of food, medicine, and basic supplies as border crossings with Gaza—nearly all controlled by Israel—were closed.