Nothing wrong with Gaza death toll figures, WHO says
(VOVWORLD) - The World Health Organization voiced full confidence in Gaza Ministry of Health death toll figures on Tuesday, saying they were actually getting closer to confirming the scale of losses after Israel questioned a change in the numbers.
 A house was destroyed in the Israel-Hamas conflict in Rafah, Gaza, on May 1, 2024 (Illustrative photo: Xinhua/VNA) |
Gaza's health ministry last week updated its breakdown of the total fatalities of around 35,000 since Oct. 7, saying that about 25,000 of those have so far been fully identified, of whom more than half were women and children.
This sparked allegations from Israel of inaccuracy since Palestinian authorities had previously estimated that more than 70% of those killed were women and children. U.N. agencies have republished the Palestinian figures, which have since risen above 35,000 dead, citing the source.
"Nothing wrong with the data, the overall data (more than 35,000) are still the same," said WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier at a Geneva press briefing in response to questions about the toll. "The fact we now have 25,000 identified people is a step forward," he added.