UN Spokesman Addresses Discrepancies in Gaza Death Toll Data

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has significantly revised its data on Palestinian casualties in the Gaza war, reducing the number of reported deaths by nearly half. This shift has raised concerns about the reliability of the original figures, which have been widely cited by international media and world leaders.

Dramatic Shift in UN Casualty Data for Gaza War

In a dramatic turn of events, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has大幅に修正されたits data on Palestinian casualties in the seven-month-old Gaza war. The organization's initial report, published on May 6, claimed that 9,500 women and 14,500 children had been killed in the conflict. However, in a subsequent report on May 8, the figures were drastically reduced to 4,959 women and 7,797 children.

This sudden and unexplained change has raised alarm, particularly as the overall death count provided by the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza remains high, approaching 35,000. The Israeli government has disputed Hamas's figures, claiming that more than a third of those killed were combatants.

Unverified Figures Raise Concerns

The unverified death toll data from Hamas has been widely quoted by international media, humanitarian organizations, and world leaders, including President Biden. The figures have also been used to question Israel's compliance with international humanitarian law and to accuse the Israeli government of committing genocide or deliberately targeting civilians.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) estimate that around 14,000 terrorists have been killed since the fighting in Gaza began. President Biden, in his State of the Union address in March, cited Hamas's figures, which at the time stood at 30,000. He also used the unverified data to commission a State Department inquiry into Israel's conduct.

UN Spokesman Explains Discrepancies

When asked to explain the discrepancy in the UN's statistics, Farhan Aziz Haq, a spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, stated that the data was based on information provided by the Ministry of Health in Gaza and that these figures "can vary based on their own verification process."

He emphasized that UN teams on the ground are unable to independently verify the figures due to the prevailing situation and the sheer volume of fatalities. The spokesman added that the UN would only be able to verify the figures "to the extent possible when conditions permit."

Israel Questions Hamas's Accuracy

Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of manipulating casualty figures and providing inaccurate information. An Israeli official told Fox News Digital that Israel is still waiting for OCHA to acknowledge an incident early in the war where nearly 100 civilians were killed by an errant rocket fired by a Gaza terror group.

The official also highlighted that Hamas uses UN infrastructure for terror activities, which is consistently ignored in OCHA reports. The official urged the international community to be skeptical of OCHA reports, citing a lack of verification and the parroting of Hamas propaganda messages.

Expert Analysis and Concerns

David Adesnik, a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, has been closely monitoring the death toll data. He notes that while Hamas's figures may have been accurate in previous conflicts, the current chaos and collapse of the health system in Gaza make it impossible to accurately count the dead and verify Hamas's reports.

Adesnik believes that the UN's sudden revision of the death toll indicates that even Hamas-controlled sources are admitting that their numbers are based on incomplete data. He points out that Hamas does not have the names of more than 10,000 of the individuals they count as dead.

Adesnik emphasizes that the UN and Western journalists have a responsibility to conduct due diligence and not blindly accept figures from Hamas-controlled sources. He believes that the recent change by the UN is a step forward, but that the organization and Western media still have a long way to go in ensuring the accuracy and reliability of casualty reports.

Conclusion

The dramatic shift in UN casualty data for the Gaza war has raised serious concerns about the reliability of the original figures. While the UN has explained that the discrepancies are due to varying verification processes, Israel continues to question the accuracy of Hamas's death toll. Experts emphasize the need for independent verification and due diligence when reporting on casualty figures in conflict zones.