The Gaza-based Palestinian Health Ministry released the names of thousands of Palestinians killed during Israel’s onslaught since October 7 after President Biden questioned the death toll.
According to the Health Ministry, at least 7,028 Palestinians have been killed, including 2,913 children. The report it released listed the names, ages, genders, and ID numbers of 6,747 people. It says an additional 281 bodies have not yet been identified.
When confronted on Wednesday with the massive child casualties in Gaza, President Biden said he had “no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth” while also recognizing that “innocents have been killed.” which he said was the price of war.
Ashraf al-Qudra, spokesman for the Health Ministry, said the US was “devoid of human standards, morals and basic human rights values” for “shamelessly” questioning the death toll.
“We decided to go out and announce, with details and names, and in front of the entire world, the truth about the genocidal war committed by the Israeli occupation against our people,” he said.
Biden and other US officials have cast doubt on the casualty numbers since the enclave is ruled by Hamas, meaning they have oversight of the Health Ministry. But Gaza’s Health Ministry is known to be reliable, and its numbers have stood up to UN and even Israeli scrutiny in previous wars.
For example, Gaza’s Health Ministry said 2,310 Palestinians were killed in the 2014 Gaza War. The UN count for the conflict was slightly lower, at 2,251, and the Israeli estimate was 2,125.
While President Biden is questioning the death toll, a report from HuffPost found his State Department is citing the figures from Gaza’s Health Ministry internally in cables known as “situation reports.”
In one report, written on October 21, the State Department official drafting the cable noted the casualty rate could actually be higher than what Gaza’s Health Ministry is reporting. “The numbers are likely much higher, according to the UN and NGOs reporting on the situation,” the report said.
Source: AntiWar.
