Death toll in Gaza 41% higher than reported: Study

LONDON

The number of people killed in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has been underreported by approximately 41% as 3% of the population has died due to violence, a new study suggested on Friday.

An independent study by researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) estimated 64,260 traumatic injury deaths in Israeli attacks on Gaza between Oct. 7, 2023 and June 30, 2024 compared to the 37,877 reported by the Health Ministry in Gaza.

The findings, published in the medical journal The Lancet, indicate that approximately 3% of the population of Gaza has died due to violence with an analysis showing that 59% of them were women, children, and the elderly.

The researchers used a statistical method known as "capture-recapture analysis" to estimate the number of traumatic injury deaths, while the sources included the Ministry Health Ministry’s hospital morgue records, a respondent-driven online survey, and social media obituaries.

According to the study, the significant underreporting of traumatic injury deaths shows the deterioration of Gaza’s health care infrastructure and the consequent inability to count the dead amid the ongoing violence.


Based on the estimated underreporting rate, the total traumatic injury death toll as of October 2024 is thought to have exceeded 70,000, which was reported at around 42,000 by the ministry at that time.

It said that the overall death toll in Gaza is likely to be higher as the analysis does not account for non-trauma-related deaths caused by disruption to health care, food insecurity, inadequate water and sanitation, and disease outbreaks.


"These results underscore the urgent need for interventions to safeguard civilians and prevent further loss of life," said Zeina Jamaluddine, lead author at LSHTM.

Israel has continued a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The second year of genocide in Gaza has drawn growing international condemnation, with officials and institutions labeling the attacks and blocking of aid deliveries as a deliberate attempt to destroy a population.

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.