TEHRAN – Researchers say the number of deaths from Gaza’s genocide could be much higher than what the enclave’s health ministry reports.
In a daily briefing, the Gaza Health Ministry announced that the number of genocide casualties unfolded by the Israeli occupation of the Gaza people has reached “52,908 martyrs and 119,721 injured” since October 7, 2023.
Since March 18, 2025, when the occupation system violated the ceasefire agreement, at least “2,780 martyrs and 7,680 injuries have been recorded.”
In the last 24 hours alone (Tuesday afternoon), the ministry reported that “46 new martyrs and 73 injured” had arrived at the enclave hospital.
Meanwhile, ambulances and civil defense crews are unable to reach due to heavy debris and ongoing Israeli attacks, so many casualties remain trapped on tile rubs and on-street streets.
The new announcement shows that the number of deaths and injuries continues to rise as occupying forces continue to target different regions of the enclave, particularly in the northern city of Gaza.
As the official death toll approaches 53,000, researchers suggest that the true number could be significantly higher.
Two main sources of the Ministry of Health figures are reports from hospitals and online surveys where individuals, including those not yet officially identified, can report deaths.
The death toll is much higher, according to a study conducted by researchers and published in the Lancet. The researchers analyzed two lists, along with a third compiled from death notifications posted on social media that focused solely on deaths caused by injuries.
Each list included a name and often an age, gender and ID number.
Independent verification confirmed that people listed in the ministry have actually died.
Rather than relying solely on the provincial sum, researchers cross-referenced the three lists, covering the period from the start of genocide until June 30, 2024.
Their goal was to determine how much overlapping the list was. For example, if a 30-year-old man appeared on all three lists, his death was probably counted.
However, if each list contains almost unique names, this indicates that many deaths have been overlooked.
This study found minimal overlap between lists, suggesting that official numbers significantly cover the actual number of deaths.
Based on the analysis, the actual number of deaths could be 46% to 107% higher than the one currently released by the ministry.
If this pattern has been held since June last year, the number of true people killed in Gaza ranges from 77,000 to 109,000, which could reach around 4-5% of the population before the US-backed war of genocide.
Most of the victims of genocide were women and children, according to department data, which international organizations say are reliable.