Researchers say Gaza death toll may be significantly higher than previously estimated

[iemanja]

The Palestinian death toll from the war in Gaza could be substantially higher than official figures reported by the Hamas-run health ministry, research published in The Lancet medical journal suggests. . .

It [The UK led study] https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2824%2902678-3
used data from the ministry, an online survey of relatives reporting fatalities, and obituaries. It estimated that up until 30 June 2024, 64,260 Palestinians died from traumatic injury, meaning an under-reporting of deaths by 41%

Israel says the numbers from the Gaza Health Ministry can't be trusted, but

Israel is not allowing international journalists from media organisations, including the BBC, independent access to Gaza, making it difficult to verify the facts on the ground. . . .

Researchers used a statistical method called "capture-recapture."

Researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine looked at how many people turned up repeatedly in different attempts to count deaths. The level of overlap between those lists suggested that the number of deaths directly caused by traumatic injury in the conflict could be significantly higher than hospital figures published by the Ministry of Health. . . .

The report in The Lancet estimated a death toll between 55,298–78,525 people, compared to 37,877 reported by the health ministry.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqjvl4klzweo

The article and study are open access.