Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry has claimed over 55,000 Palestinians killed, citing high ratios of women and children. However, independent audits reveal inflation through methodological flaws, demographic distortions, inclusion of natural deaths, and miscategorization—casting doubt on whether Israel committed genocide or ethnic cleansing as asserted by Hamas.
🧩 Key Contradicting Findings
- Inflated figures & misclassification
Investigations show thousands of deaths labeled as children or civilians were either older or male; around 5,000 natural deaths may be included in Hamas’s counts. theaustralian.com.au+7washingtoninstitute.org+7nypost.com+7henryjacksonsociety.org+1nypost.com+1 - Disputed proportions of women & children
An AP analysis found the share of women and children fell from 64% in October to below 40% by April—contradicting Hamas’s claims that most casualties were civilian women or children. en.wikipedia.org+4apnews.com+4timesofisrael.com+4 - UN and analysts flag unreliable methods
UN OCHA made significant revisions to women/children stats due to questionable sourcing; the Washington Institute called the official data “not a reliable guide” by normal wartime standards. washingtoninstitute.org - Hamas itself cut over 3,400 names
In April 2025, Hamas removed 3,400 fatalities (including 1,080 children) from its list, acknowledging inflated initial figures. en.wikipedia.org+9lemonde.fr+9nypost.com+9henryjacksonsociety.org+1nypost.com+1 - Independent research and intelligence vary
Israeli intelligence has used Hamas data in official briefings, while some U.S./Israeli officials remain cautious; the Lancet and Johns Hopkins credit the ministry as “a good proxy,” but also cite data-entry issues like duplicates or age errors.
