How does the Hamas Ministry of Health calculate the death toll in Gaza?

Aerial photo shows buildings and houses destroyed by Israeli bombings in Gaza City

Photo: Portal/Mohammed Salem

The number of deaths in Gaza Strip According to the Hamascontrolled local health ministry in an announcement last Monday the 6th, the number has already exceeded 10,000.

The figure has been questioned by US President Joe Biden but continues to be used as a reference around the world. This is because there are no other organizations conducting the count.

At the end of October, the international agency AFP monitored the process of conducting the count at a mortuary in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza. A medical examiner examined each body, taking photographs and recording the person’s name and where they died.

The expert then divided the names into two lists: the “martyrs” killed in the conflict with Israel and ordinary citizens.

An Israeli attack on a refugee camp in Gaza leaves dozens of people dead

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AFP further explained that the Ministry of Health receives such information daily from state hospitals from a digitized database. Private hospitals have a 24hour deadline within which deaths must be submitted to a special form.

To prove the accuracy of the count, the Hamas Ministry of Health released a long list containing the names and details of 7,000 Palestinians killed as of October 26.

According to Hamas, the aim was to “expose the details and names to the whole world so that they would know the truth.” In addition to the name and gender, there was also the identity number of the dead.

Understand the conflict between Israel, Palestine and Hamas

The director of the United Nations Palestinian Refugee Agency, Philippe Lazzarini, was also convinced by the count. He explained that the death figures published by the Ministry of Health had never been questioned in previous conflicts.

Such information is also used by the World Health Organization (WHO) in reports on the Palestinian Territories.

Source: Redação Terra