Adjustment of Casualty Figures in the Gaza War Leads to Confusion

In a notable revision of previous reports, the health authority led by Hamas in the Gaza Strip has corrected the number of minors and women killed in the war. Initially, higher figures were reported, but official statements recently showed a halving of the casualty numbers, only to later raise them again to the previous level. An independent verification of these figures has yet to be conducted. Specifically, it was originally assumed that over 14,500 children and adolescents and more than 9,500 women were killed. The narrative abruptly shifted when explanations for the adjusted figures, which dropped to 7,797 minors and 4,959 women, were not provided. Interestingly, the percentage of children and adolescents among the deceased was estimated at 32 percent, with women accounting for about 20 percent, seniors 7.8 percent, and men 40 percent. Earlier reports had represented the proportion of women and minors at 70 percent of the war fatalities. The United Nations referred to the reports from the Hamas health authority and released the lower figures on May 8. All UN publications cited the Palestinian authorities as the source. Ultimately, a "typographical error" was mentioned as the reason for the lower figures by a spokesperson for the health authority. He reaffirmed that since October 7 of the preceding year, over 14,500 children and adolescents and more than 9,500 women had fallen victim to Israeli attacks. He stated the total number of dead at nearly 35,000 and the injured at over 78,600, without making a distinction between combatants and civilians. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), basing its stance on the data from the health authority, declared that independent verification was not possible. Only the numbers of its employees killed, which have reached 188 since the beginning of the war, could be confirmed. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) expressed a similar position, emphasizing that due to the current circumstances and the high number of casualties, an independent verification of figures was not feasible. Consequently, all reports used by the UN list the health authority in Gaza as the source of information.