In recent updates from the United Nations regarding the ongoing conflict in Gaza, there has been a notable adjustment in the casualty figures, which is going to destroy a far-left talking point. Initially, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) listed more than 9,500 women and 14,500 children among the fatalities as of May 6. However, this number was significantly revised downward just two days later. The revised figures now show under 5,000 women and 8,000 children as casualties.
That’s almost half.
This change in numbers has raised questions about the sources of the initial data. David Adesnik, a research director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, noted that the UN had been using data provided by the Hamas-run Government Media Office (GMO) until May 6. After this date, the source of the data was no longer cited, and the figures were closer to those reported by the Gaza Health Ministry on May 2. This shift indicates the UN might have stopped relying on the GMO’s data, which lacked detailed justification, and instead began using the more substantiated figures from the Gaza Health Ministry.
Wow, who could have predicted that #Hamas, a listed terrorist group, and the Hamas-run “Gaza Ministry of Health” would lie about casualties?!?
I’m sure the pro-Hamas supporters in 🇨🇦 will update their propaganda accordingly! 🙄 https://t.co/rW2IAenG2w
— Kevin Vuong (@KevinVuongMP) May 12, 2024
Further analysis by Gabriel Epstein from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy highlighted discrepancies between the datasets provided by two Hamas-run institutions. His findings in late March revealed differences that suggested the earlier reports dramatically understated the number of adult male fatalities, who are more likely to be combatants.
The method of reporting casualties by the UN in Gaza contrasts with its approach in other conflict zones, such as Ukraine. There, the UN supposivly uses a defined methodology that relies on individual records and a standard of proof. Hillel Neuer, the executive director of UN Watch, criticized the UN’s method in Gaza, suggesting it reflects a biased stance when Israel is involved. He pointed out that in Gaza, there is no clear methodology or standard of proof, and the figures often come from sources controlled by Hamas, which the international community recognizes as a terrorist organization.
The credibility of casualty data from Gaza has been further questioned after the Ministry of Health, run by Hamas, admitted that over 10,000 previously reported fatalities had incomplete data. This disclosure casts doubt on earlier claims that 70 percent of Palestinian casualties were women or children.
John Spencer, a professor specializing in urban war studies, noted the conduct of Israel’s military operations by comparing them with other recent urban conflicts like Mosul, Iraq. He noted that the ratio of combatants to civilians killed in Gaza, which is approaching 1:1, would be historically low for modern urban warfare.
