The propaganda war over the number of victims. The propaganda war over the number of victims

The Islamist Hamas-controlled authority has published a 212-page list of the names of all the dead. The document also contains information on the age, gender and identity card numbers of Palestinians believed to have been killed in the Gaza war since October 7. According to the list, the number of deaths from Israeli attacks is at least 7,028. The information has not yet been independently verified.

US government: don’t take anything from Hamas at face value

The US government had previously questioned the number of victims. “We cannot accept anything that comes from Hamas, not even the so-called Ministry of Health.”said National Security Council Communications Director John Kirby at the White House. The agency is run by a terrorist organization. The US government does not deny that there are many victims. US President Joe Biden had previously said that he had no confidence in the figures published by the Ministry of Health.

The number of casualties in conflicts can fluctuate and be inaccurate for various reasons. On the one hand, a precise overview is often lacking, for example when people are still buried or certain areas are not accessible. On the other hand, they can also be used for propaganda.

“Propaganda stimulus”

After an explosion in a hospital in Gaza, Hamas quickly spoke of an Israeli attack. The Ministry of Health, which is under the control of the terrorist organization, initially cited 500 deaths and then 471 victims. However, the American secret services estimate 300 deaths. Neither information can be independently verified.

Luke Baker, former head of the Reuters news agency in Jerusalem, also doubts the health authority’s figures. “Hamas has a clear propaganda incentive to increase civilian casualties as much as possible. I do not deny that civilians are being killed.”he wrote on Platform X.

Human rights activist: The numbers match our observations

But there are also negative voices. Omar Shakir, director of the human rights organization Human Rights Watch in Israel and Palestine, sees no manipulation. “We have been observing human rights violations in the Gaza Strip for 30 years, including various hostilities. “We have generally found that the Department of Health data is reliable,” he said, according to the British Guardian. They also conducted their own research and found no major deviations. He also cites satellite images of buildings after Israeli attacks. Conclusions are also drawn from this about possible numbers of victims.

A UN worker, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Guardian:

The current number of victims is higher because the attacks are larger.

“The numbers may not be completely accurate from minute to minute,” Michael Ryan of the World Health Organization’s Health Emergencies Program told the AP. “But they largely reflect the scale of deaths and injuries.”

Hospitals record all injuries and deaths on computers

Hospitals in Gaza have implemented a system to manage the incoming wounded. There are records of every injured person lying in a bed and every corpse arriving at a mortuary. They enter this data into a computer system that connects them to the Ministry of Health. According to screenshots sent to the AP by hospital administrators, the system looks like a color-coded table divided into categories: name, ID number, date of hospitalization, type of injury, condition. However, the ministry’s figures only provide a general overview: There is no distinction between civilians and Hamas members,

Another problem for journalists in verifying the number of victims is that Israel no longer allows them into the Gaza Strip. “Communication with journalistic contacts on the ground is extremely difficult because Israel has bombed the infrastructure of local telecommunications authorities and paralyzed the Internet.” writes the “Spiegel”.

It is not easy for local journalists and international aid workers to move through the Gaza Strip and get a first-hand view. Israel recently reported hundreds of attacks on the relatively limited area in the north of the Gaza Strip. The UN reported that 38 of its employees were killed, and the CPJ organization reported that at least 27 journalists were killed.

According to Spiegel, local contacts also confirmed that there have been more casualties in Gaza since the Hamas attack on Israel than in previous clashes. Francesca P. Albanese, who reports on behalf of the UN on the human rights situation in Palestine, spoke in a statement on October 24 about 5,000 deaths on the Palestinian side since October 7.

Muhammad Shehada, Gaza native and head of communications for the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, confirms this assessment. He told Time Magazine that of all the Israeli military operations he and his family have experienced, nothing matches the size, severity and scope of this current war.

“Right now, 7,000 people are being killed, which is far more than the number of Palestinians killed in any war, atrocity or escalation in the last forty years.” says Shehada.

Israel, on the other hand, repeatedly warns not to believe the figures from Gaza.