On Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) expressed its trust in the death toll figures provided by the Gaza Ministry of Health, confirming the accuracy of the reported losses which have been under scrutiny after Israel raised questions about changes in the data.
Last week, Gaza’s health ministry updated its fatality figures to around 35,000 since October 7, detailing that approximately 25,000 of these casualties have been fully identified, with over half being women and children.
This revision led to Israeli claims of inaccuracies, pointing out a discrepancy from earlier estimates which suggested over 70% of the casualties were women and children. The updated figures, however, have been endorsed by U.N. agencies, with the toll now acknowledged to exceed 35,000.
At a Geneva press briefing, WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier addressed these concerns by affirming the reliability of the data. He highlighted that identifying 25,000 victims represents progress and adjusted the estimate of women and children affected to about 60%, based on the latest data. Lindmeier also noted that many victims still buried under rubble are likely to belong to these groups once identified.
Lindmeier emphasized that fluctuations in death tolls are typical in conflict situations, recalling that Israel had also adjusted its casualty figures following the October 7 Hamas attacks.
Echoing this sentiment, Liz Throssel, a spokesperson for the U.N. human rights office, remarked at the same briefing that the focus should be on the tragic loss of life, emphasizing that “every life matters,” with a significant number of the deceased being women and children and many others still missing under the rubble.
