Netanyahu and Hamas, which he helped over the years, have a common interest in lowballing the death/injury toll. Hamas keeps the figures low to reduce being accused by its own people of not protecting them, and not building shelters. (Unguided Western and Israeli reporters and journalists are not allowed to enter Gaza by the Israeli government.) Daily circumstantial evidence of the deliberate Israeli targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructures requires more reliable epidemiological estimates of casualties. It matters greatly whether the aggregate toll so far, and counting, is three, four, five, six times more than the Health Ministry’s undercount.

Source: The Guardian March 07, 2024 16:21 UTC