How Western officials, media coverage pushed to discredit Gaza death toll

Al JazeeraCenterEN 4 min read 100% complete by Ali HarbFebruary 1, 2026 at 12:34 PM

AI Summary

long article 4 min

In October 2023, as Israel's military campaign in Gaza intensified, then-President Biden questioned the accuracy of Palestinian death toll figures provided by the Gaza Health Ministry. This skepticism, according to rights advocates, contributed to the dehumanization of Palestinians and enabled the denial of atrocities. Two years later, Israeli military officials reportedly acknowledged that the death toll in Gaza was approximately 70,000, confirming the Health Ministry's data. While the Israeli government later attempted to retract this acknowledgement, rights advocates argue that Western officials and media outlets played a role in discrediting the initial reports, hindering accountability for the scale of casualties in Gaza. The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) accused the US government of attempting to "gaslight" the world.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Al Jazeera 30% Abed Ayoub ×240% American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) 40% Ministry of Health ×350% Israeli military ×250% Joe Biden ×260% United States ×260% Palestinians ×670% Israel ×780% Gaza Strip ×590%

Keywords

gaza death toll 100% palestinians 90% israeli military 80% disinformation 70% media coverage 60% western officials 60% joe biden 50% dehumanisation 50% ministry of health 40%