Gaza death toll hits 40,000 with thousands more yet to be counted

[Ramsey Barner]

Ten months into Israel’s war on Gaza, the death toll has passed 40,000, according to health authorities there. A majority of the dead are civilians and the total represents nearly 2% of Gaza’s prewar population, or one in every 50 residents.

But even that figure does not tell the full story of Palestinian losses. “This number, 40,000, includes only bodies that were received and buried,” said Dr Marwan al-Hams, the director of field hospitals at the Palestinian ministry of health. “New procedures are being tested to include those who are missing or known to be under the rubble on the list of the dead, but they have not yet been approved.”

“People who died due to indirect impacts of war, including diseases, starvation and the collapse of the healthcare system, are not included [in the war dead],” said Hams. “A committee will be formed to count these [victims], which will start work immediately after the end of the war.”

Israeli officials question the death toll given by the authorities in Gaza. They argue that because Hamas controls the government there, its health officials cannot provide credible figures, but the doctors and civil servants who run the hospitals and health system have a credible record from past wars in Gaza.

[More at link]
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/15/gaza-death-toll-hits-40000-with-thousands-more-yet-to-be-counted

[elias7]

1. Does this include Hamas combatant targets? Innocents killed by Hamas and Islamic Jihad?

Further, this is a war, and those that started it could in fact surrender and return the hostages, rather than try to win a war by maximizing its civilian losses and counting on public opinion to win for them Hamas are cowards and evil and have no interest in compromise, agreement or peace. Of course, there may be some that disagree with me (though I would be embarrassed and conflicted to be in the side of a terrorist group that records its own rape of young Israeli girls, have their own people cheer about it, and then convince the rest of the world the rapes didn’t happen).

[lapucelle]

2. Why does The Guardian frame Israel's war against Hamas

as "Israel's War on Gaza"? It's inaccurate, antithetical to Biden's foreign policy position, and weird.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

3. These numbers are from Hamas

Many do not trust Hamas

Link to tweet

[Aussie105]

4. Both sides do their own type of propaganda.

Doesn't make it right.

Hamas or Israel? Who do you believe?

“A committee will be formed to count these [victims], which will start work immediately after the end of the war.”

'After the end of the war' . . . what if this is an endless war?

[Oopsie Daisy]

5. Thank you for being a voice of reason and sanity.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

6. I am not a fan of Bibi but Bibi being an asshole does not justify posting misleading numbers

[Aussie105]

7. Not seeing too much of that.

The calculated deaths of civilians is never excusable.

But the world really doesn't seem to care.

Israel can carry on until a lot of territory in the Middle East is a desolate, smoking ruin uninhabitable by anybody for decades to come.

So carry on.

Why not? As long as America keeps sending bombs and Bibi is bent on total annihilation, fighting off his real and imaginary demons.

Future history books will judge what went wrong and who to blame.

[Oopsie Daisy]

8. Put the blame were it deserves to lie: right in the lap of Hamas.

>> Future history books will judge what went wrong and who to blame.
Indeed! It's clear that Hamas are the ones who hide themselves, weapons, and their HQ/operations-centers among civilians... in schools, shelters, hospitals, markets. Hamas are the war criminals. Hamas are the ones who intentionally put civilians in harm's way.

>> The calculated deaths of civilians is never excusable.
I agree. Hamas is calculating wrong, and it's inexcusable. The cowards are calculating that they can shield themselves with innocent civilians. Hamas has calculated that the death of civilians is worth saving their own lives, and if not, it's great propaganda, eh?

>>But the world really doesn't seem to care.
Sure. That's it. Nobody cares. Please.

[Aussie105]

9. The killing shall continue

until Bibi declares that the World is a Better Place and he is satisfied.

I'm not taking much notice of people posting about who is to blame.
Who started it, who is putting out propaganda, who is putting out fake numbers, etc.

After all, the dead people probably didn't care about those details too much either.

[Oopsie Daisy]

10. Hamas can end this if they wanted. They simply don't want to.

>> I'm not taking much notice of people posting about who is to blame. Who started it, who is putting out propaganda, who is putting out fake numbers, etc.
Yes. Considering that it's a losing argument to try and place the blame anywhere OTHER than where it truly belongs - — with Hamas — I certainly understand why some folks would want to avoid having those conversations.

For many people, it's just easier automatically to place blame on Israel for anything and EVERYTHING without having to explain or defend the accusations, isn't it?

>> After all, the dead people probably didn't care about those details too much either.
Neither does Hamas, obviously. They clearly do not care about civilians, only about themselves, and only about destroying Israel. If they cared about civilians, then they would not hide among them. They would not put their operations centers in/under/near schools, hospitals, markets, refugee centers. The simple fact is that Hamas are cowards to be hiding among children. But, if that doesn't work as they hope, Hamas certainly doesn't actually CARE about more civilian deaths. In their estimation it's a bonus, a win-win... for propaganda purposes.