Gaza Ministry of Health reports over 35,000 deaths since conflict began on October 7, 2024.
Initial report: At least 14,500 children and 9,500 women killed as of May 6. Later report: 4,959 women and 7,797 children identified as of May 13.
No change in overall death toll but shift in how data is presented.
UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) revised its data on identified fatalities in Gaza conflict leading to conflicting figures.
Recent reports from the United Nations (UN) have caused confusion regarding the number of women and children killed in Gaza during the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) revised its data on identified fatalities, leading to conflicting figures being reported.
According to multiple sources, including Al Jazeera and CNN, OCHA initially reported that at least 14,500 children and 9,500 women had been killed in Gaza as of May 6. However, the UN later updated its data to reflect a breakdown by gender and age of identified people only. This change resulted in a lower number of women and children appearing in the total count.
For instance, OCHA reported that 4,959 women and 7,797 children had been identified as of May 13. However, it is important to note that this does not represent a change in the overall death toll but rather a shift in how the data is presented.
Israeli officials initially seized on this change to suggest that there had been a significant drop in death toll numbers. However, top global health officials have clarified that no such revision has taken place.
The Gaza Ministry of Health continues to report an overall death toll of over 35,000 people since the conflict began on October 7, 2024. It is important to remember that this figure includes both identified and unidentified fatalities.
The U.N.’s new breakdown of Gaza death toll has caused confusion and anger
OCHA changed its updates on the death toll in Gaza to reflect a breakdown by gender and age of identified people, not the total number killed
Israeli officials incorrectly suggested that the data showed a significant drop in death toll numbers
As of May 6, OCHA reported at least 14,500 children and 9,500 women among those killed in Gaza
It is not clear why OCHA changed the presentation of death toll data on its website without announcing or explaining it
Accuracy
At least 14,500 children and 9,500 women among those killed in Gaza
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the ratio of Hamas militants to civilians killed in Gaza was almost '1 to 1'
American officials consider the death toll given by Palestinians to be accurate
Deception
(30%)
The article reports on a change in the way the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is presenting death toll data from Gaza. The new presentation appears to show lower numbers of women and children among those who have been identified, leading some to incorrectly assume that there has been a significant decrease in overall death toll numbers. This misrepresentation is being used by Israeli officials to support their claims that health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave inflate the number of children and women among the dead to disguise the large number of militant fighters killed. The article does not explicitly state that OCHA has revised its overall death toll numbers, but rather that it is now only reporting on those who have been identified. This lack of clarity can lead to confusion and misinterpretation.
Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Israel Katz took aim at what he called ‒the miraculous resurrection of the dead‒ in a post on X on Monday, accusing the U.N. of antisemitism and supporting terrorism for relying on data from health officials in Gaza.
The furor comes as Israeli forces push deeper into Rafah, forcing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee the city once declared a “safe zone.” Some Israeli officials incorrectly suggested that the data showed a significant drop in death toll numbers and used this to bolster their claims that health authorities in Gaza inflate the number of children and women among the dead.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several instances of inflammatory rhetoric and appeals to authority. The author uses phrases like 'furor', 'incorrectly suggested', 'bolstered claims', and 'seized upon' to create a sensational tone. The Israeli officials are referred to as making incorrect statements, but no evidence is provided in the article that their statements were indeed incorrect. Additionally, the World Health Organization spokesperson is quoted as finding the new data 'striking', implying that there may be something unusual or suspicious about it, even though he later clarifies that it was simply a change in how the data was being presented. These instances of inflammatory rhetoric and appeals to authority detract from the objective reporting of the facts.
The furor comes as Israeli forces push deeper into Rafah, forcing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee the city once declared a ‘safe zone.’
Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Israel Katz took aim at what he called ‘the miraculous resurrection of the dead’ in a post on X on Monday, accusing the U.N. of antisemitism and supporting terrorism for relying on data from health officials in Gaza.
On a podcast published Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the ratio of Hamas militants to civilians in Gaza killed in the ongoing war was almost ‘1 to 1’, without providing evidence.
The United Nations has revised the number of women and children killed in Gaza due to incomplete information.
At least 4,959 women have been confirmed dead according to the UN's latest update.
Accuracy
As of May 6, OCHA reported at least 14,500 children among those killed in Gaza.
The UN now relies on the number of deceased women and children whose names and other identifying details have been fully documented.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(95%)
The article reports on the United Nations revising their count of women and children killed in the Israel-Gaza conflict due to incomplete information. This is an example of an appeal to authority fallacy as the UN is being presented as a reliable source, but their credibility is based on their status rather than the evidence provided. Additionally, there are dichotomous depictions present in the article with phrases such as 'debate over the credibility of Gazan authorities' and 'criticism of Israel’s conduct of the war.' These phrases create a false dichotomy between two sides, implying that there are only two valid perspectives on the issue.
]The change in the U.N.’s numbers … has added fuel to a debate over the credibility of the Gazan authorities’ tallies of fatalities in the war.[
Many international officials and experts familiar with the way the health ministry verifies deaths in Gaza say its numbers are generally reliable.
The deaths of women and children are seen as an important, if incomplete, indication of how many civilians have been killed.
The UN clarified that the overall number of fatalities in Gaza, which is more than 35,000, has not changed since the war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7.
Israel launched its military assault on Gaza on October 7 after Hamas killed at least 1,200 people in Israel and abducted more than 250 others.
Two officials from the Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed that the total number of people killed remains unchanged and does not include the approximately 10,000 people who are still missing and trapped under the rubble.
Accuracy
The UN now relies on the number of deceased women and children whose names and other identifying details have been fully documented.
At least 4,959 women, 7,797 children and 10,006 men have been confirmed dead according to the UN’s latest update.
Of identified deaths, 4,959 women have died along with 7,797 children (or 52% of the total number of identified deaths in the war).
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(95%)
The article contains an appeal to authority when it states that 'Both the UN and US officials have previously appraised the figures from the Ministry of Health in Gaza as credible.' This statement implies that because UN and US officials have deemed the numbers from the Ministry of Health credible, they must be accurate. However, this does not necessarily mean that there are no fallacies present in the article or that all statements made by the authors are true.
Both the UN and US officials have previously appraised the figures from the Ministry of Health in Gaza as credible.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has revised downward the number of identified female and child fatalities in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Of identified deaths, 4,959 women have died along with 7,797 children (or 52% of the total number of identified deaths in the war).
Accuracy
At least 4,959 women and 7,797 children have been confirmed dead according to the UN's latest update.
Deception
(35%)
The article reports on the UN revising downward the number of identified women and children killed in Gaza during a war. The author does not make any editorializing or pontification statements, but there are instances of selective reporting and emotional manipulation. The author focuses on the reduction in reported numbers of women and children fatalities, which is a significant decrease from previous reports. However, the article fails to mention that this revision is due to the UN differentiating between identified deaths (those registered in hospitals) and unregistered deaths (collected from media reports). The author also does not disclose that these unregistered deaths were previously considered reliable but have now been found to be unreliable. This selective reporting creates an emotional response by focusing on the reduction in reported numbers of women and children fatalities without providing the full context. Additionally, the article quotes experts who question the reliability of Hamas's data, but it does not disclose that these experts are from a foundation for the defense of democracies, which could be considered biased.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has sharply revised downward the number of identified female and child fatalities in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
The academics also say the Hamas health ministry and GMO data suffer from other severe issues.
But on May 8, the agency adopted new figures. While it still kept the higher reported death toll (now at 34,844), it said identified fatalities stood at 24,686.
Of note, the Hamas ministry counts all those under the age of 18 as children, while commentators note that a not-insignificant number of combatants are in their teens.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article reports on a dramatic revision of the number of women and children identified as killed in Gaza by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The new figures reported by OCHA reduce by more than half the number of women and children that it previously said had been killed during the war, though other “unregistered” deaths may be pending. All numbers continue to be based on reporting from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, and not on independent data. The article also discusses how the differentiation between hospital-registered deaths and those based on “media reports” was not explained by the ministry, and that OCHA has essentially stopped lumping those two categories together. This suggests that there may have been inflated or inaccurate reporting of certain demographics being killed in the conflict.
In a dramatic development, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has sharply revised downward the number of “identified” female and child fatalities in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
The new figures reported by OCHA reduce by more than half the number of women and children that it previously said had been killed during the war, though other “unregistered” deaths may be pending.
All numbers continue to be based on reporting from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, and not on independent data.
Bias
(50%)
The article reports that the UN has drastically revised downward the number of identified women and children killed in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The new figures reported by OCHA reduce by more than half the number of women and children previously reported to have been killed during the war. The author does not provide any context or explanation for why this revision occurred, but it is mentioned that all numbers continue to be based on reporting from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, and not on independent data. This could potentially indicate a bias towards accepting information from a biased source without questioning its accuracy.
All numbers continue to be based on reporting from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, and not on independent data.
The new figures reported by OCHA reduce by more than half the number of women and children previously reported to have been killed during the war.
