Gaza death toll likely reaches into the hundreds of thousands, researcher says

The death toll in Gaza could be far higher than the widely reported figure of 73,000, according to journalist Freddie Ponton, who says hundreds of thousands of deaths may have gone uncounted.

Speaking to RCR, Ponton said the commonly cited figure of 73,000 deaths inadequately accounted for people who had died outside hospitals, were buried under rubble, or died from disease, malnutrition and inadequate medical treatment. Rather, the total should be seen as a documented minimum.

Ponton also noted that the destruction and removal of evidence – the clearance of rubble from Gaza by Israeli forces – made the true toll even harder to establish.

He pointed to modelling that had estimated deaths could have reached about 875,000 deaths. While Ponton stressed this was not a verified count or an agreed figure, he said the estimate was based partly on deaths from deprivation.

In a recent interview with RCR, former Israel Ambassador to the UK Mark Regev said the population of Gaza has remained broadly stable over the past three years. He acknowledged that innocent people had been caught up in the conflict, however he rejected the characterisation of Israel’s actions as a genocide.

Ponton said a population census would be able to provide a clearer picture by comparing Gaza’s pre-war population of about 2.5 million with the number of survivors, departures, returns and births.

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