Photo credit: www.bbc.com
Understanding the Human Cost of the Gaza Conflict
As the toll of the ongoing violence in Gaza escalates, the Hamas-run health ministry reports that over 51,200 Palestinians have lost their lives since the onset of the conflict. This figure highlights the profound humanitarian crisis affecting the region.
At al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Alam Hirzallah faces a somber task. He’s responsible for documenting the deaths of his cousin’s family—his cousin’s wife and two young children. Following an Israeli bombardment that struck their home, the family transported the bodies using an electric tuk-tuk. The victims, Asma Hirzallah, aged 5-year-old Mayar, and 3-year-old Abdullah, tragically succumbed to the violence.
“The hospital requested their full names and ID numbers, as mandated by Israel’s population registry,” Alam details. “They provided us a document confirming their deaths but left us at a loss about where to bury them due to cemetery locations being under Israeli control.”
The reported death toll of 51,266 over 18 months includes a staggering percentage of individuals under the age of 18. However, Israeli authorities have consistently questioned the validity of these figures, suggesting that they serve as propaganda for Hamas. The lack of distinction between combatants and civilians in the reported numbers further complicates the situation, with accusations from Israel of an exaggerated count of women and children among the deceased.
Recent media investigations have cast doubt on the statistical reliability of the casualty reports, particularly noting discrepancies between listings from August 2024 and March 2025, which indicated the removal of approximately 3,000 names from official fatality lists.
Challenges in Data Verification
The method for gathering data concerning fatalities in Gaza has evolved throughout the conflict. Initial counts were based on bodies arriving at hospitals, which were recorded in a centralized system housed at al-Shifa Hospital and backed up at al-Rantissi Hospital. However, as the situation deteriorated and medical facilities became targets in military operations, the accuracy of this system diminished.
The Israeli military asserted that it has targeted health facilities due to claims that Hamas uses them as shields for its fighters, a claim that the group refutes. By early 2024, Gazan health officials implemented online reporting forms for families to declare their deceased or missing loved ones. Many names of individuals recently removed from the official lists were originally submitted through these channels.
Zaher al-Wahidi, the head of statistics at the health ministry, explains, “Names that have been taken off may potentially be reinstated. A judicial committee has been established to thoroughly review all submissions to maintain data integrity and accuracy.” His office tries to distinguish between war-related deaths and those resulting from natural causes or other indirect factors, which do not make it onto official casualty lists.
Additionally, some individuals wrongly counted as deceased were found to be alive, possibly incarcerated by Israeli authorities. Recent investigations led to the removal of over 3,000 names from the lists, a process described by Wahidi as precautionary to ensure accuracy.
Counterclaims from pro-Israeli organizations suggest that this removal indicates a form of deliberate distortion rather than a mere error. The perception had been that only verified names would appear on published casualty lists, but shifts in methodology suggest ongoing revisions based on the information available.
Recovering Bodies and Acknowledging Victims
The ministry also reports a recent audit of its casualty data from hospital morgues, reflecting inaccuracies and omissions due to the chaos of the conflict. Community members often lacked essential identification details necessary for accurate reporting, which resulted in some misidentifications.
As the conflict continues, numerous bodies remain trapped under debris from Israeli airstrikes, with about 900 still unidentified and not accounted for in health ministry reports. A ceasefire period allowed for some recovery efforts, during which nearly 800 bodies were retrieved and registered by civil defense workers.
With no DNA testing capabilities in Gaza, responders relied on physical identifiers, such as jewelry or driver’s licenses, to help families locate their lost loved ones. A team leader noted, “Even a broken tooth can assist relatives in recognizing someone missing.”
Combatant and Civilian Casualties
Since renewed hostilities began on March 18, daily mortality rates have surged. Israel has made periodic estimates regarding the number of Palestinian combatants killed, with early estimates suggesting nearly 20,000 casualties from Hamas and other Palestinian factions.
While Israel has not publicly disputed the civilian death counts provided by the Gazan health ministry, it remains guarded about its own civilian casualty figures. The war ignited on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a deadly cross-border offensive, leading to approximately 1,200 Israeli casualties, mostly civilians. The Israeli military cites 408 military casualties since the onset of the conflict.
The barriers preventing independent journalistic access to Gaza create significant challenges for verifying claims and statistics from either side. In this context, local journalists play a crucial role in providing insights into the impacts of the conflict, including interviews with witnesses and visits to bomb sites for evidence.
Amidst an unprecedented level of loss and suffering within the region, it remains uncertain how or when this protracted conflict might reach a resolution.
Source
www.bbc.com