New report claims Hamas is altering Gaza death toll

• HonestReporting claims Hamas’s casualty list has discrepancies, with names disappearing and demographics changing over time. The organization suggests that this may be an attempt to inflate casualty numbers and misrepresent the war’s true impact.
• The Henry Jackson Society also supports these claims, noting errors in age and gender descriptions of the victims.
• Both groups highlight a computer outage in Gaza in November 2024 that could be linked to the inaccuracies in the casualty figures.

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A pro-Israeli nonprofit claimed that Hamas is manipulating the official death toll in the Gaza area.

What is the nonprofit that made the report?

Nonprofit HonestReporting states its goal is to “ensure truth, integrity and fairness, and to combat ideological prejudice in journalism and the media, as it impacts Israel.” The group frequently releases articles detailing the war in Gaza.

According to The Associated Press, HonestReporting had “publicly wondered” that Palestinian journalists who had documented the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack had been tipped off in advance.

The article led two Israeli politicians to suggest killing the journalists. Several new publications issued statements following the article, stating they had no prior knowledge of the attacks.

The nonprofit stated they had said nothing “firmly” and were only asking questions.

What does the nonprofit’s new report allege?

HonestReporting’s new report highlights discrepancies between lists Hamas released in 2024 and one released in March.

The nonprofit suggests Hamas may have added names and altered the demographics of victims in an attempt to inflate the data.

Salo Aizenberg, a board member for HonestReporting, said 3,400 confirmed deaths, including 1,080 children, are no longer on the list. He asserts Hamas is falsifying records and misrepresenting the number of casualties from the ongoing conflict.

The United Nations uses figures from the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza for international reports, which receive widespread media attention and often lead to political developments.

Have other sources reviewed this data?

The Henry Jackson Society, a British think tank, also agreed with HonestReporting’s new report. Several outlets have reported it as right-wing despite the think tank’s claim to be nonpartisan.

The Henry Jackson Society claimed in December 2024 that there are errors in the age and gender descriptions of those killed in civilian attacks and combat.

While Hamas claims that 70% of reported deaths were women and children, the current list shows this percentage is no longer accurate. For Hamas soldiers, 72% of fatalities are men between the ages of 13 and 55.

Andrew Fox with the Henry Jackson Society argues that neither the media nor government organizations should quote Hamas’s figures as facts due to the vast discrepancies and potential inflation of numbers. Fox also points out that Hamas does not distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths while including people who died before the war began in 2023.

Fox further notes that the method Hamas uses to compile its casualty list makes it easy to spread false information. A public Google Doc allows anyone with a link to add names, and Fox claims these names are not verified or supported by additional evidence.

HonestReporting and the Henry Jackson Society also highlight a computer outage in Gaza that may be linked to the numbers Hamas is reporting. However, it is unclear if the November 2024 incident altered the data.