High Gaza Death Toll Figures Generate Controversy

Gaza authorities said in early October that more than 42,000 people had been killed in the strip since Israel’s strikes and ground operations there in response to Hamas terrorists’ attack on Israel. Some say the death toll may be much higher—more than 186,000—taking into account those still missing, their bodies presumably buried in the rubble, and the area’s shortages of food, water, and medicine. The casualties are a result of the war that began when Hamas, in a surprise attack on Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, 2023, massacred 1,200 people, mostly Israeli civilians. However, these figures—which have fueled charges of “genocide” against Israel—rely on information from a health ministry that ultimately is run by Hamas. Israel’s defenders say the numbers could be inaccurate, or worse, fabricated, citing statistical anomalies and highlighting the difficulty in pinpointing just how many of the dead are combatants....