CNN
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The number of people killed in the Gaza Strip is significantly higher than the numbers reported by the enclave’s authorities, a peer-reviewed study by researchers at Britain’s leading health research university has found.
According to a study published by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and published in The Lancet, there will be an estimated 64,260 “traumatic deaths” in Gaza between October 7, 2023 and June 30, 2024. ” was there. According to Gaza health statistics, the figure at that time was 37,877.
This means the department was underreporting violent deaths by about 41%, the researchers found. Based on estimated underreporting rates, the number of Gazans killed in violence as of October is believed to be over 70,000, according to the study.
The report notes that the total number of deaths attributable to Israel’s military actions is likely to be higher, as the analysis does not take into account deaths from medical disruptions, food, clean water and sanitation, and disease outbreaks. said.
According to the Ministry of Health, the number of injured as of January 7 was 45,885, with an additional 109,196 injured. Generally, the ministry derives its numbers by counting the bodies of those killed.
LSHTM said the findings suggest that around 3% of the enclave’s population died due to violence, of which 59% were women, children and the elderly.
LSHTM said the discrepancy with the ministry’s numbers reflects the inability to accurately count deaths amid the destruction of Gaza’s medical infrastructure and continued Israeli bombing of the enclave.
Researchers analyzed data from multiple sources, including Ministry of Health hospital morgue records, respondent-driven online surveys, and obituaries on social media.
They arrived at their estimates using a statistical technique known as “capture-recapture analysis,” which is used when all relevant data has not been recorded.
LSHTM lead author Zeina Jamaluddin said the results “highlight the need for urgent intervention to protect civilians and prevent further loss of life.”
Israel’s 14-month war in Gaza, launched in response to the October 7 Hamas attack, has destroyed large swaths of the enclave, destroying key medical infrastructure while reducing hospitals that remain functional. It’s putting a huge burden on me.
Last month, a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report found that Israel is deliberately depriving Palestinians in the Gaza Strip of access to clean water, fueling the spread of disease and potentially killing thousands of people. revealed that a person had died.
HRW warned that the scale of the devastation caused by water shortages will likely never be fully understood due to the destruction of Gaza’s health system, including disease tracking.
Both HRW and Amnesty International have accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which Israel strongly denies. Israel has also been sued at the United Nations’ highest court, the International Court of Justice, on charges of genocide.
Earlier this week, a Palestinian newborn died of hypothermia in the Gaza Strip, bringing the total number of infants who have died in recent weeks due to cold temperatures and lack of access to warm shelter to at least six.
Eight people, including a two-year-old infant and a nurse, died of hypothermia, according to the enclave’s health authorities.
Aid group Médecins Sans Frontières announced on Wednesday that three hospitals in Gaza – Nasser Hospital, Al-Aqsa Hospital and Europa Gaza Hospital – are at risk of closure due to fuel shortages. “This situation threatens the lives of hundreds of patients, including newborns who rely on electricity to survive,” the report said.
