More than 75,000 people were killed during the first 16 months of the Gaza war—around 25,000 more than official figures reported at the time—according to a new peer-reviewed study published in The Lancet. The research suggests that early death tolls significantly undercounted the scale of violence during the most intense phase of the conflict.

The study examined the period from 7 October 2023, when Hamas launched its deadly attack on Israel, through 5 January 2025. Using a representative survey of 2,000 Gaza families, researchers estimated that 3–4% of Gaza’s total population was killed violently during that time. Importantly, the findings confirm that Gaza health ministry data accurately reflected the proportion of women, children, and elderly victims—who accounted for 56% of violent deaths.

Researchers also estimated that about 8,200 additional deaths were caused indirectly by the war, including from malnutrition and untreated illness. While this figure is lower than some earlier projections, the authors stressed that it remains substantial and reflects Gaza’s collapsing health system under sustained bombardment.

The study challenges long-standing disputes over casualty figures. While Israeli officials have often questioned Gaza’s death counts, a senior Israeli security officer recently acknowledged that the ministry’s figures were broadly accurate. Israeli authorities maintain that combatant and civilian deaths were roughly equal, a claim the Lancet study disputes.

The findings align closely with separate research by Germany’s Max Planck Institute, which also estimated more than 78,000 deaths over a similar timeframe and warned of a sharp drop in life expectancy in Gaza.

Researchers caution that the true death toll may never be fully known due to missing persons, indirect deaths, and the immense difficulty of post-conflict data collection.

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Key Takeaways

• Lancet research estimates over 75,000 deaths in early Gaza war period

• Women, children, and elderly made up more than half of violent deaths

• Official Gaza figures likely undercounted fatalities by about 40%

Gaza death toll in early part of war far higher than reported, says Lancet study | Gaza | The Guardian

I wonder why this story has been buried by the media...........................

8 hours ago, bannork said:

More than 75,000 people were killed during the first 16 months of the Gaza war—around 25,000 more than official figures reported at the time—according to a new peer-reviewed study published in The Lancet. The research suggests that early death tolls significantly undercounted the scale of violence during the most intense phase of the conflict.

The study examined the period from 7 October 2023, when Hamas launched its deadly attack on Israel, through 5 January 2025. Using a representative survey of 2,000 Gaza families, researchers estimated that 3–4% of Gaza’s total population was killed violently during that time. Importantly, the findings confirm that Gaza health ministry data accurately reflected the proportion of women, children, and elderly victims—who accounted for 56% of violent deaths.

Researchers also estimated that about 8,200 additional deaths were caused indirectly by the war, including from malnutrition and untreated illness. While this figure is lower than some earlier projections, the authors stressed that it remains substantial and reflects Gaza’s collapsing health system under sustained bombardment.

The study challenges long-standing disputes over casualty figures. While Israeli officials have often questioned Gaza’s death counts, a senior Israeli security officer recently acknowledged that the ministry’s figures were broadly accurate. Israeli authorities maintain that combatant and civilian deaths were roughly equal, a claim the Lancet study disputes.

The findings align closely with separate research by Germany’s Max Planck Institute, which also estimated more than 78,000 deaths over a similar timeframe and warned of a sharp drop in life expectancy in Gaza.

Researchers caution that the true death toll may never be fully known due to missing persons, indirect deaths, and the immense difficulty of post-conflict data collection.

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Key Takeaways

• Lancet research estimates over 75,000 deaths in early Gaza war period

• Women, children, and elderly made up more than half of violent deaths

• Official Gaza figures likely undercounted fatalities by about 40%

Gaza death toll in early part of war far higher than reported, says Lancet study | Gaza | The Guardian

I wonder if this study is flawed in the manner at the Iraqi death count study.