The United Nations has revised its casualty figures for Palestinian women and children, reducing the numbers by 50%. This change comes amidst ongoing conflict in Gaza since the terrorist group Hamas committed a brutal massacre killing 1,200 people and capturing 243 hostages on Oct. 7, 2023.
Initially, the U.N. reported 34,735 deaths on May 6, with 14,500 children and 9,500 women among the victims. These figures were provided by the Hamas-run Government Media Office, which has faced scrutiny for its accounting methods. However, on May 8, the UN reported 34,844 deaths, with 7,797 children and 4,959 women. This time, the data came from the Gaza Ministry of Health, leading to questions about the sudden change from the previous figures provided by the GMO.
Researchers, including David Adesnik and Gabriel Epstein, have been closely monitoring the data provided by the Health Ministry. They noted that there were two groups of victims reported, with one group having their identifying information recorded in a central database linked to Gaza’s hospital system. The other group consisted of victims reported through “reliable media sources.”
The Health Ministry acknowledged that they lacked complete data for the second group of victims, totaling more than 10,000. While the Ministry did not explain what data was missing, Adesnik speculated that they may not have the names of the deceased individuals.
OCHA’s latest infographic on May 8 highlighted that 24,686 of the 34,844 victims had been identified, aligning with the Health Ministry’s terminology for the first group of victims recorded through the hospital system. OCHA also mentioned that there were “more than 10,000 reported missing or under the rubble,” but it was not clear if these individuals were assumed to be buried under rubble.
The U.N. has faced criticism for changing its figures based on the Health Ministry’s data and not providing a clear explanation for this decision. Adesnik expressed concerns about the accuracy of the Health Ministry’s unidentified victims and the potential misinterpretation of the situation by the U.N.
Overall, the discrepancies in the casualty figures and the lack of transparency in reporting have raised questions about the accuracy of the data being shared by the U.N. and the Health Ministry in Gaza.
