Democracy Dies in Darkness

Why news outlets and the U.N. rely on Gaza Health Ministry for death tolls

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Updated May 14, 2024 at 2:11 p.m. EDT|Published October 24, 2023 at 6:53 p.m. EDT
Bodies of people killed in airstrikes are transported for burial in the central Gaza Strip on Oct. 22, 2023. (Loay Ayyoub for The Washington Post)
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Israel’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip has killed tens of thousands of people, and the toll continues to climb, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The Washington Post, like other news organizations, the United Nations and international institutions, is unable to independently verify the casualty figures. Since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, in the war’s opening salvo, Gaza has been closed to outside journalists. Palestinian reporters in Gaza are also under extreme risk because of the conflict, with more than 100 killed, according to media watchdog Reporters Without Borders.