Gaza’s death toll is about 40% higher than the Ministry of Health’s figures

According to a research study published in the Lancet medical journal, the death toll in the Gaza Strip during the first nine months of the devastating war that Israel continues to wage is about 40% higher compared to the figures of the Ministry of Health in the Strip.

As of June 30 last year, the Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that the death toll from the war stood at 37,877, but the new study, based on ministry data, an online poll, and obituary data on social media, estimated that the death toll from war injuries in Gaza ranged from 55,298 to 78,525 martyrs during that period.

The best estimate of the death toll in the study is 64,260, which means that it is 41% higher than the figures published by the Ministry of Health for that period. The study indicated that this figure represents 2.9% of Gaza‘s population before the war, “or about one in 35“ citizens in the Strip. The UK–led group of researchers estimates that 59% of the victims are women, children and the elderly.

The reported number is limited to casualties from the war, and does not include deaths caused by other factors such as lack of health care or food, nor does it include the thousands of missing persons believed to be buried under the rubble.