New study casts doubt on official figures on casualties in Gaza

A new peer-reviewed study in The Lancet Global Health estimates that more than 75,000 Palestinians died in the Gaza Strip during the first 15 months of the Israeli offensive. This is significantly more than the approximately 49,000 victims reported by the local health ministry at the time.

The researchers claim that women, children, and seniors accounted for about 56 per cent of violent deaths. According to the authors, this is the first independent population-based mortality survey that did not rely solely on administrative records.

The field research was conducted among 2,000 households and used personal interviews, with the results having a 95 per cent reliability rate.

The study also estimates an additional 16,300 non-violent deaths caused indirectly by the conflict, such as from disease or deteriorating living conditions.

The UN has long considered the Gaza ministry's data to be reliable, but Israel disputes it. The authors argue that the official figures may have been underestimated rather than overestimated.

(reuters, pir)