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Source: https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/media/7168?disposition=attachment
How Hamas Manipulates Gaza Fatality Number
(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Gabriel Epstein - There are many reasons to treat the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health and Government Media Office fatality numbers with skepticism. The metrics show signs of being repeatedly massaged to omit or obscure male fatalities - the category most likely to include combatants. The Gaza fatality counts fail to distinguish combatants from noncombatants and underreport the deaths of men. What can be said for certain is that Hamas-produced statistics are inconsistent, imprecise, and appear to have been systematically manipulated to downplay the number of militants killed and to exaggerate the proportion of noncombatants confirmed as dead. The writer is a research assistant at the Washington Institute.