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Gaza Death Toll: Facts, Fabrication, and the Importance of Critical Thinking | AiTME #13 | An article by Avi Melamed | Podcast version powered by Ai.
In recent days, pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel actors in the West have been amplifying claim that the death toll in Gaza exceeds 650,000 people. Such claims are circulated widely on social media, often wrapped in vague phrases like “collected data” to create a false sense of credibility. Here is one example: https://x.com/swilkinsonbc/status/2007888689301700742?s=20
This is demonstrably false. According to the official report of the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, as of early January 2026 the number of fatalities stands at 71,386. As is customary in the ministry’s reporting, no distinction is made between Hamas militants and civilians.
Beyond the falsehood itself, there is a noteworthy aspect to this narrative that deserves attention. A central pillar of Hamas’s strategy is to mobilize Western public opinion in support of Palestinians while simultaneously evading responsibility for the devastation it has inflicted on Gaza. One might therefore expect Hamas—through its control over the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza—to artificially inflate the death toll. Yet it does not do so.
The reason is straightforward: Hamas is facing intense criticism within Palestinian society and across the Arab world for its direct responsibility for Gaza’s destruction. At this stage, artificially inflating casualty figures would backfire, as it would only intensify that criticism and anger.
The circulation of such fabricated numbers is a textbook example of why critical thinking is essential. Those promoting this propaganda attempt to lend it credibility by invoking the term “collected data.” A critical examination immediately raises fundamental questions: Who exactly collected the data? What methodology was used? How was the data gathered? These basic questions quickly expose the falsehood, the propaganda—and the agenda of those spreading it.
This article is also available as a Podcast: the AiTME Podcast. This Podcast was written and created by Avi Melamed, Middle East Intelligence Analyst and Founder of Inside The Middle East [ITME], an institute dedicated to apolitical, non-partisan education about the Middle East.
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Gaza Death Toll: Facts, Fabrication, and the Importance of Critical Thinking | AiTME #13 | An article by Avi Melamed | Podcast version powered by Ai.
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