Israeli Military Finally Admits Gaza Health Ministry's Death Toll Was Accurate After Years of Denial
A stunning reversal has come from the Israeli military after years of dismissing the death toll estimates kept by the Gaza Strip's Health Ministry. According to reports, the military has now concluded that the health ministry's counts were accurate, confirming what human rights advocates and other credible sources have been saying for years.
This decision comes on the heels of a long-standing campaign by Israel against the Palestinian population in Gaza, which has resulted in thousands of civilian deaths. Despite overwhelming evidence suggesting otherwise, pro-Israel pundits, politicians, and media outlets repeatedly denied the validity of the health ministry's death tolls, often characterizing them as "Hamas propaganda."
The doubts sown over the loss of Palestinian life have laid the groundwork for shielding Israel from accountability. According to Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of human rights group DAWN, the denialism has enabled Israel to continue its crimes and allowed the US to continue arming it.
As news broke that the Israeli military had finally accepted the health ministry's numbers, Hani Almadhoun, co-founder of the Gaza Soup Kitchen, expressed outrage at the initial denials. "To every government spokesperson, every news anchor, and every celebrity who repeated that denial — I hope you never know what it feels like to lose your family and then be told your loss is 'disputed,'" he said.
The Palestinian health ministry's death tolls have been the only reliable source of information on casualties during Israel's campaign in Gaza. Despite being barred from entering the Strip, NGO workers have relied on this data to report on human rights abuses. However, even their efforts were often dismissed as "Hamas propaganda."
In response to the Israeli military's admission, DAWN issued a statement calling for accountability and an end to the impunity that has characterized Israel's actions in Gaza. The organization said that the denial of the health ministry's death tolls had helped shield Israel from accountability.
The Biden administration, Congress, pro-Israel pundits, and legacy media institutions have all played a role in perpetuating this denialism. According to Whitson, these efforts were aimed at "gaslighting Americans" into continued support for Israel and allowed it to continue its crimes without consequence.
With the Israeli military finally accepting the health ministry's death tolls, it remains to be seen whether those who have repeatedly denied the validity of this data will now acknowledge their mistake.
A stunning reversal has come from the Israeli military after years of dismissing the death toll estimates kept by the Gaza Strip's Health Ministry. According to reports, the military has now concluded that the health ministry's counts were accurate, confirming what human rights advocates and other credible sources have been saying for years.
This decision comes on the heels of a long-standing campaign by Israel against the Palestinian population in Gaza, which has resulted in thousands of civilian deaths. Despite overwhelming evidence suggesting otherwise, pro-Israel pundits, politicians, and media outlets repeatedly denied the validity of the health ministry's death tolls, often characterizing them as "Hamas propaganda."
The doubts sown over the loss of Palestinian life have laid the groundwork for shielding Israel from accountability. According to Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of human rights group DAWN, the denialism has enabled Israel to continue its crimes and allowed the US to continue arming it.
As news broke that the Israeli military had finally accepted the health ministry's numbers, Hani Almadhoun, co-founder of the Gaza Soup Kitchen, expressed outrage at the initial denials. "To every government spokesperson, every news anchor, and every celebrity who repeated that denial — I hope you never know what it feels like to lose your family and then be told your loss is 'disputed,'" he said.
The Palestinian health ministry's death tolls have been the only reliable source of information on casualties during Israel's campaign in Gaza. Despite being barred from entering the Strip, NGO workers have relied on this data to report on human rights abuses. However, even their efforts were often dismissed as "Hamas propaganda."
In response to the Israeli military's admission, DAWN issued a statement calling for accountability and an end to the impunity that has characterized Israel's actions in Gaza. The organization said that the denial of the health ministry's death tolls had helped shield Israel from accountability.
The Biden administration, Congress, pro-Israel pundits, and legacy media institutions have all played a role in perpetuating this denialism. According to Whitson, these efforts were aimed at "gaslighting Americans" into continued support for Israel and allowed it to continue its crimes without consequence.
With the Israeli military finally accepting the health ministry's death tolls, it remains to be seen whether those who have repeatedly denied the validity of this data will now acknowledge their mistake.
. I mean, I knew all along that the health ministry was counting up some serious body bags over in Gaza 
. It's about time someone at the Israeli military decided to do some real math instead of just spewing their own propaganda.
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. It's time for those in power to step up and take responsibility for what's going down over there.
I'm glad to see the Israeli military finally acknowledging the Gaza Health Ministry's death toll was accurate. It's like they're saying "oops, we were wrong" 
after all these years of denying it. This is a big deal because it means that maybe some accountability can be had for all the civilian deaths during Israel's campaign in Gaza. 
. But it's not like anyone with a shred of evidence was being honest - human rights advocates and NGOs had been saying this all along.
they've been lying about the whole Gaza thing for years and now that the health ministry's numbers are proven right, they're all like "oh no, we were wrong" 
but it's way too little, way too late. Israel's still going to get away with whatever they want because the US is still arming them and the media's still spewing propaganda 
this whole thing is just a huge mess
can you believe this took so long? it just goes to show how much influence money and politics can have on our perceptions of reality 
these denialists are just awful, and i'm glad someone is finally calling them out on it. it's not like the health ministry was wrong all along or anything... 
what really gets me is that ppl are gonna keep saying "oh but the Hamas propaganda" and "it's a complex issue" like that doesn't help anyone 
. All these years of denying the death toll in Gaza was just so sad 
. I mean, how many families had to suffer because of it? 
Thousands of civilians lost their lives and now we're hearing the truth 
.
. Her group DAWN has been saying this all along and it's awesome to see some respect from Israel finally 
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. Pro-Israel pundits and media outlets have always denied any wrongdoing 
. But the truth is, we've known it for years 
. We need to make sure those responsible face justice 
. And I hope this admission leads to some real change in Israel's actions in Gaza 
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. Let's make sure those who died in Gaza are remembered and honored 
. But hey, at least now we know the truth, and it's about time someone did! 
. Fingers crossed for a better future for Palestine! 
i mean, thousands of ppl died and they're just now accepting it? seems like a classic case of gaslighting 
especially with all the pro-israel propaganda out there 
what's next, are they gonna start apologizing for everything? 
. And can you believe they had to be pressured into it after denying it for so long? It's like, where were they hiding? 
I mean, think about all the people who lost loved ones in Gaza and were told their grief was being disputed... no one deserves that kind of treatment 
i'm so glad DAWN is pushing for accountability now though - it's about time we hold those in power responsible for their actions 
! Finally, they're acknowledging the real numbers after years of denying them 
. It's like, you can't deny the evidence forever 
#JusticeForGaza #AccountabilityMatters #HumanRights
, right? But seriously, like, how does this affect the whole situation in Gaza? Is it gonna lead to some kind of change? Do you think the US government is gonna do something about it? 
What's Hamas propaganda, anyway? Is that like a real thing? 
. I've been following the Palestinian health ministry's data for years and it's insane how long Israel tried to cover it up 
. We need concrete steps towards healing and justice, not just empty apologies 
. But seriously, it's crazy how one person's "Hamas propaganda" can become a whole country's narrative. And I'm not surprised the US and media were complicit in it – after all, who needs facts when you've got powerful interests at play? 
The real question is, will these people owning up to their mistake finally face some accountability, or are we just going to keep playing spin doctor? 
DAWN's got a point, gaslighting americans was a key part of this whole denialism thing 
.
It's not just about Israel, though - it's about how this kind of denialism can happen anywhere and allows governments to get away with human rights abuses. We need more transparency and less propaganda!