Study suggests Gaza death toll might be 40% higher
A study featured in The Lancet indicates that the Palestinian Health Ministry's reported death toll may be underestimated. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Research indicates that the official Palestinian death toll from the Israel-Hamas conflict may be significantly underestimated. A recent study published in The Lancet medical journal coincided with Gaza’s Health Ministry reporting that the death toll from the 15-month conflict has surpassed 46,000.
The report suggests that the official Palestinian count of deaths in Gaza during the first nine months of the war may have underrepresented fatalities by approximately 40%. Researchers attribute this discrepancy to the collapse of healthcare infrastructure in the region and the difficulties in maintaining accurate records amid the ongoing conflict.
Conducted by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in partnership with Yale University, the study employed capture-recapture analysis, a statistical method that leverages multiple independent data sources to estimate unreported deaths.
The researchers project that 64,260 deaths from traumatic injuries occurred between October 2023 and June 2024, which is around 41% higher than the official count from the Palestinian Health Ministry for that same period.
“The estimated annualised mortality from traumatic injury of 39.3 per 1000 people is exceptionally high, surpassing rates seen during earlier conflicts in the Gaza Strip,” the report states. Furthermore, over 59% of the victims were identified as women, children, and elderly individuals.
Israeli officials maintain that their military operations strive to minimize civilian casualties. However, the report's authors question the validity of these assertions. “The scale and age-sex patterns of traumatic injury deaths raise grave concerns about the conduct of the military operation in Gaza despite Israel stating that it is acting to minimise civilian casualties,” the document notes.
The accuracy of casualty statistics has become a contentious topic throughout the conflict. A report released in December by the Henry Jackson Society, a London-based security think tank, claimed that Hamas had significantly exaggerated the death toll to gain international sympathy.
The conflict erupted on October 7, 2023, following a large-scale attack by Hamas on Israel that resulted in over 1,200 deaths. In retaliation, Israel initiated extensive air and ground assaults in Gaza, emphasizing its determination to eradicate Hamas.
The UN has reported considerable civilian casualties in Gaza and has criticized Israel’s military strategies, indicating that some actions might constitute severe breaches of international law, including war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Camille Lefevre for TROIB News
The report suggests that the official Palestinian count of deaths in Gaza during the first nine months of the war may have underrepresented fatalities by approximately 40%. Researchers attribute this discrepancy to the collapse of healthcare infrastructure in the region and the difficulties in maintaining accurate records amid the ongoing conflict.
Conducted by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in partnership with Yale University, the study employed capture-recapture analysis, a statistical method that leverages multiple independent data sources to estimate unreported deaths.
The researchers project that 64,260 deaths from traumatic injuries occurred between October 2023 and June 2024, which is around 41% higher than the official count from the Palestinian Health Ministry for that same period.
“The estimated annualised mortality from traumatic injury of 39.3 per 1000 people is exceptionally high, surpassing rates seen during earlier conflicts in the Gaza Strip,” the report states. Furthermore, over 59% of the victims were identified as women, children, and elderly individuals.
Israeli officials maintain that their military operations strive to minimize civilian casualties. However, the report's authors question the validity of these assertions. “The scale and age-sex patterns of traumatic injury deaths raise grave concerns about the conduct of the military operation in Gaza despite Israel stating that it is acting to minimise civilian casualties,” the document notes.
The accuracy of casualty statistics has become a contentious topic throughout the conflict. A report released in December by the Henry Jackson Society, a London-based security think tank, claimed that Hamas had significantly exaggerated the death toll to gain international sympathy.
The conflict erupted on October 7, 2023, following a large-scale attack by Hamas on Israel that resulted in over 1,200 deaths. In retaliation, Israel initiated extensive air and ground assaults in Gaza, emphasizing its determination to eradicate Hamas.
The UN has reported considerable civilian casualties in Gaza and has criticized Israel’s military strategies, indicating that some actions might constitute severe breaches of international law, including war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Camille Lefevre for TROIB News
