When people die in conflict, accurate and verifiable figures are essential. With regard to Gaza’s war, many people rely on figures from Hamas-run health ministry.
The Ministry of Health tracks deaths through reporting from hospitals, ambulances and the Palestinian Red Crescent; its data remains impressively consistent despite obstacles like disruption in connectivity.
WHO IS TALKING ABOUT Gaza CASUALITIES?
Casualty figures compiled by the Gaza Ministry have long been a point of contention, with critics alleging it has exaggerated how many have died due to Israeli airstrikes. But many public health experts contend the ministry has an excellent track record and functional systems for tracking baseline population statistics that surpass most Middle Eastern nations.
The ministry based out of Ramallah states it trusts its partners in Gaza when it comes to counting casualty counts and regularly calls them during disruptions caused by spotty connections; but they insist Hamas does not dictate casualty counts.
As noted by Maya Mikdashi and Charli Carpenter’s anthropologists, the Ministry does not publish updates with names or ages for victims who appear in its casualty estimates every few hours; nor does it differentiate between combatants and civilians. Such an oversight may have life-or-death consequences: Sharing casualty estimates that depict all men in Gaza as Hamas combatants feeds into normative narratives that dehumanize them while overlooking women and children who might otherwise have been innocent, creating helplessness within civilian populations unable to protect themselves from further violence.
HOW ARE THE CASUALITIES COLLECTED?
Israeli forces may have sealed Gaza’s borders, yet international journalists and humanitarian workers have still managed to observe large numbers of bodies at hospitals, morgues and funerals despite Israel’s sealancing measures. While previous wars’ counts had held up to U.N. scrutiny and independent investigations – this time around their methodology has come under greater scrutiny following al-Ahli Hospital incident on October 13th that resulted in several fatalities.
Hamas is part of Hamas’ governing body and therefore exerts influence over its health authority, but does not dictate casualty figures for Palestinian health services. Instead, this ministry regularly reports its figures to international bodies such as the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The ministry has also come under criticism for inflating its numbers. For instance, The Associated Press (AP) count of 500 killed after the mid-October hospital incident was refuted by Gaza officials who blamed an Israeli airstrike. After consulting experts and reviewing video, photos, and satellite imagery by the AP, along with reviewing video, photos, and satellite imagery, AP concluded that an accident likely resulted from an errant rocket fired by Hezbollah – an anti-Israel Shia militant group considered terrorist by both Western countries and Israel.
ARE THE CASUALITIES COUNTED BY NAME?
Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry is the main source of casualty figures; however, this government agency doesn’t break out casualties into civilian and combatant categories.
International bodies and independent groups frequently cite data provided by the Ministry for Humanitarian Aid and Relief in reports and investigations, such as by the UN humanitarian office, International Committee of the Red Cross, or Palestine Red Crescent Society during past conflicts.
The Ministry of Defense provides casualty updates every few hours, providing details about deaths and wounded with breakdowns for men, women, and children – but rarely giving names or ages of victims. One exception was on October 27, when they issued a 212-page report listing names, ID numbers, ages of all those killed during the conflict – this action followed criticism from US President Joe Biden that Israel’s airstrike at Al-Ahli hospital resulted in an explosion caused by an errant rocket fire from inside Gaza; American intelligence estimates 100 to 300 deaths during this conflict.
ARE THE CASUALITIES COUNTED BY AGE?
Gaza’s Health Ministry, run by Hamas and responsible for tracking casualties during wars and skirmishes in recent history, says it collects information from hospitals within Gaza including al Shifa Hospital as well as receiving feedback from Red Crescent organisations and other sources.
After verifying data, Gaza sends it onward to Ramallah in the West Bank for update by officials there. According to one Gaza spokesman who spoke with reporters, information collected by hospitals and ambulances are first categorized according to age and sex before counting wounded bodies by name before finally tabulating deaths by category.
Kirby claims the Palestinian Authority, which controlled Gaza before Hamas took over in 2007, still oversees and pays employees at Gaza Ministry, but some critics such as him believe that they may be used by Hamas as a front. Hamas denies such charges while many media outlets continue citing figures provided by them even after false report about bombing at al Ahli hospital.
ARE THE CASUALITIES COUNTED BY SENSE?
Pettersson noted that Gaza Ministry personnel count casualties using doctor estimates after airstrikes in densely populated areas, family reports of missing loved ones and other primary sources to create their casualty estimates. Their staff in Gaza is comprised of recent Hamas hires as well as older civil servants affiliated with Fatah party – along with a government media office which provides updates about Israeli strikes.
Verifying the ministry’s figures can be challenging due to Israel’s restrictions on Gaza and limited access for journalists and international organizations, said she. However, their counts in previous wars matched up closely with independent agencies and the U.N. humanitarian office – making verification more challenging still.
As much as human rights groups outside Gaza may dispute the ministry’s independence, most human rights organizations generally acknowledge its tallies. For instance, the United Nations humanitarian office frequently references casualty figures reported by Hamas ministries outside Gaza in their reports – unlike the White House which has consistently labeled these numbers inaccurate. Biden may have made these comments simply to challenge credibility of this department run by both young Hamas officials and older civil servants affiliated with Fatah in Palestine’s occupied West Bank region.