The United Nations has provided an update on the death toll in the Israel-Hamas conflict, which now surpasses 35,000 casualties in the Gaza Strip, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, Reuters reports.
However, the ministry has revised its breakdown of fatalities, with 24,686 deaths of fully identified individuals. Among these are 7,797 children, 4,959 women, 1,924 elderly, and 10,006 men. The ministry is still in the process of fully identifying over 10,000 additional bodies.
Israel has raised concerns about the sudden change in numbers, particularly the halving of deaths among women and children. Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Oren Marmorstein accused Hamas of manipulating the figures, alleging that they do not accurately reflect the situation on the ground.
The UN emphasized that the figures provided by the Gaza Ministry of Health are based on identified bodies, and the documentation process is ongoing. However, the UN teams in Gaza are unable to independently verify the figures due to the ongoing conflict and the sheer number of casualties.
