May 13, 2024
UN cuts estimates of women, children deaths in Gaza in half (usatoday.com)
The United Nations reduced estimates for the number of women and children killed during Israel's war in Gaza by nearly half, inviting new scrutiny for figures that come from the militant group Hamas.
Of the 34,735 people who have died in Gaza since the war began,
according to data published May 6 by the UN, more than 9,500 were women and more than 14,500 were children.
But in updated data
published two days later on May 8, the UN significantly reduced the figures to 4,959 women and 7,797 children among the 34,844 people reportedly killed in Gaza.
The UN cites data from the Gaza Ministry of Health, controlled by Hamas, to produce casualty figures. The UN reports come with a disclaimer that says, "The UN has so far not been able to produce independent, comprehensive, and verified casualty figures."