Reported Gazan deaths 'completely unreliable' - study
Widespread discrepencies in the death count from the Hamas-controlled Gazan health ministry are widely cited by media outlets, despite manipulating the data to reflect more dead women and children
The number of civilians killed in the Gaza conflict may have been inflated in order to portray Israel as deliberately targeting innocent populations, according to a study published by the think tank, the Henry Jackson Society
Researchers, led by Andrew Fox, accused the Gazan health ministry of overestimating victim data by including natural deaths and not distinguishing between civilian victims and fighters. The ministry, led by Hamas, estimates that over 44,000 people have been killed since the start of the Israeli military response to the attacks on October 7, 2023. However, according to Israeli and American military and intelligence reports cited by the study, about 17,000 of these victims are believed to be Hamas fighters.
The ministry, "operating under Hamas, the perpetrators of the 7 October massacre in Israel, has systematically inflated the death toll by failing to distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths, over-reporting fatalities among women and children and even including individuals who died before the conflict began," the report stated.
"This misclassification contributes to the narrative that civilian populations, particularly women and children, bear the brunt of the conflict, potentially influencing international sentiment and media coverage."
Critics of Israel maintain that even excluding anomalies from the victim numbers, tens of thousands of innocent civilians have died in Gaza. Dr. Husam Zomlot, head of the Palestinian Mission in the UK, described the report's conclusions as morally and professionally repugnant. He stated that many international organizations and UN agencies, including WHO, have not only verified these numbers, but have stressed that they are severely underestimated.
The BBC, quoted in the report, defends its coverage by explaining that it is difficult to accurately report the number of deaths in Gaza as Israel does not permit independent access for international journalists. BBC News is clear and transparent in quoting the available figures and attributing them to the health authority led by Hamas.