The British medical journal The Lancet, published a study on Jan. 9 which concluded that the death toll in Gaza due to traumatic wounds is being under reported by about 41 percent. The study covered the period from Oct. 7, 2023 to June 30, 2024, during which time the Gaza Ministry of Health (MoH) recorded 37,877 deaths. The study estimates that a more accurate figure for the time period would be 64,260 deaths.
It notes that prior to Oct. 7, the MoH had achieved good accuracy in tabulating mortality data but since then the quality of MoH mortality data appeared to deteriorate. “The escalation of Israeli military ground operations and attacks on health-care facilities severely disrupted the latter’s ability to record deaths electronically. These challenges compelled the MoH to rely on less structured data collection modalities, particularly when hospitals were under siege or experiencing telecommunication blockades. This might have led to incomplete and geographically biased reporting, as seen in other conflict zones where prolonged warfare complicates casualty tracking.”
