About 1,200 people were killed in the October 7, 2023 attack, and the victims included civilians, security personnel, and foreign nationals. The UN Commission of Inquiry concluded that civilians were intentionally targeted at multiple locations, alongside attacks on military sites. That record contradicts the claim that Hamas attacked military targets only. UN Commission report on the attack.
Why published totals changed
Early counts were provisional. Authorities continued identifying victims and clarifying whether deaths were caused directly by the attack, occurred later, or involved security personnel. The UN Commission’s report, drawing on Israeli sources, recorded more than 1,200 people killed, including at least 809 civilians and 314 Israeli military personnel, and separately noted foreign nationals. Its figures are dated to the investigation and should not be presented as a current live total.
National Insurance Institute figures answer a different question: they track civilian terror victims and people eligible for services. Its administrative data should not be conflated with a complete count of all people killed in the attack. When a post cites a number, check the publishing authority, reporting date, and whether it counts civilians only, all fatalities, or people receiving benefits. National Insurance data and definitions.
Evidence that civilians were targeted
The UN Commission concluded that Hamas and other armed groups deliberately killed, injured, mistreated, and abducted civilians as well as members of Israel’s security forces. It found the attack was planned over a significant period and carried out at several locations at about the same time. Its report draws on witness interviews and verified open-source material, among other evidence. The conclusion is direct: the assault included intentional attacks on civilians, not only combat with soldiers.
NBC News reported on recovered Hamas documents that described planned attacks on civilian communities and specific locations. Such documents are evidence of planning and intent, but an individual document should be presented with attribution and context rather than treated as proof of every event or every attacker’s actions. NBC’s report on recovered documents.
Keep categories distinct
Victim counts include people of different ages and nationalities, and the category “civilian” is not equivalent to “unarmed at the moment of death.” The UN report provides separate civilian and military estimates and discusses foreign nationals and children. It also states that armed groups abducted civilians and security personnel. These distinctions strengthen accuracy; they do not weaken the finding that civilians were attacked deliberately.
For further context, see the evidence guide and the UN mission’s findings on sexual violence.