Tipsheet

UN Quietly Changes Gaza Casualty Numbers...by a Lot

Spencer Brown
Spencer Brown  |  May 13, 2024 10:45 AM

As Townhall reported — and anyone not blinded by rabid anti-Israel and pro-Hamas hatred presumed — the number of women and children killed in the Gaza Strip since Hamas launched its massacre on October 7 is far less than the United Nations or its terrorist sources reported.

The UN's Office of Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) quite quietly and without an announcement matching the breathless outrage at and coverage of previously reported (and literally unbelievable) numbers, halved the number of women and children it previously claimed were killed in Gaza amid the war. The more than 14,000 children it said had been killed was quietly changed to fewer than 7,800 and the number of women killed was switched from 9,500 to fewer than 5,000. 

The substantial reduction — first noted by The Jerusalem Post — debunks those who used the UN OCHA (read: Hamas terrorist) statistics to falsely smear Israel as a genocidal regime in their advocacy for Hamas to survive the war started by the bloodthirsty, Iran-backed terrorists. 

"For observers following the conflict, it should have been evident, since the war began, that data published by Hamas and its affiliates requires rigorous scrutiny," reminded Joe Truzman, senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) Long War Journal. "While the UN’s belated decision to rectify the casualty figures is welcome, it may come too late to undo the harm already caused," he cautioned. "The delay has bolstered Hamas’s position and increased its chances of survival in the conflict."

It also means that the efforts of Israel and IDF forces to limit civilian casualties have been even more successful than previously known. The IDF's prosecution of the war in the wake of Hamas terrorists' surprise attack has already been seen by honest observers as a master class in urban warfare in challenging conditions. Now, it's also clear that the combatant-to-civilian ratio is better than most recent wars fought by any nation.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently said his government estimates the Gaza death toll to be around 14,000 terrorists and 16,000 civilians — all the blood of which is on Hamas' hands — which would mean a ratio of 1:1.14, better than what other militaries (including the U.S.) have managed. Especially so since Hamas purposely hides its terrorists and weapons inside or under civilian targets. 

In a sane world, an explanation would be demanded from the UN as to why it accepted casualty numbers from Hamas terrorists — under the guise of the "Government Media Office" (GMO) in Gaza — as fact since it's long been known that Hamas counts combatants as civilian deaths and grossly inflates the real numbers. In 2024, however, with the UN voting to grant "Palestine" membership as a state in violation of the UN's charter and after UNRWA employees participated in the October 7 massacre alongside the terrorists, there's not likely to be meaningful accountability. 

According to a UN spokesperson, the sudden and consequential change in the reported number of casualties — reminder: all of which are the result of Hamas and its decision to attack on October 7 — is the result of being "in the fog of war" where "it's difficult to come up with numbers...We get numbers from different sources on the ground, and then we try to crosscheck them," the feeble explanation continued.

David Adesnik, a senior fellow and the director of research at FDD, said the significant casualty revisions "may signal that the UN has finally recognized the lack of evidence behind Hamas’s original claims that more than 14,000 children and 9,000 women have been killed in Gaza. If so, the UN should state clearly that it has lost confidence in sources whose credibility it has affirmed for months," he admonished. "While this change may only reflect the conclusion of one UN office out of the many operating in Gaza, it is a clear step forward."