“Hamas Downplays Gaza Death Toll, Indicates Majority of Victims Were Combat-Age Men”

Hamas has updated its casualty figures from the Gaza conflict, removing a significant number of names from its official list of war victims. The revised data now shows that 72% of those who died were men aged 13 to 55, a group predominantly made up of fighters. This contradicts Hamas’ previous assertions that the majority of casualties were women and children.

The changes were brought to light by Salo Aizenberg, a member of the U.S.-based organization HonestReporting, who conducted a thorough examination of Hamas’ casualty records. According to the investigation, Hamas removed 3,400 names, including more than 1,080 children, from its March 2025 report that had been previously listed in 2024.

Aizenberg highlighted that the original reports, released by the Gaza Ministry of Health under Hamas control, were widely referenced by major international bodies such as the United Nations and the International Criminal Court (ICC). “These alleged fatalities never actually occurred. Once again, the numbers were manipulated,” he stated.

He explained that Hamas maintains two lists: one for deaths confirmed by hospitals, and another for deaths reported by family members via an online form – often in cases where bodies couldn’t be retrieved. “Over time, officials realized many of these family-reported names were inaccurate or unverified, and started quietly removing them from the count – replacing one set of data with another to cover up their original manipulation,” Adesnik said.

The head of the statistics team at Gaza’s health ministry, Zaher Al Wahidi, told Sky News that names submitted via the form had been removed as a precautionary measure pending a judicial investigation into each one. “We realized that a lot of people [submitted via the form] died a natural death,” Wahidi said. Some families submitting false claims, Wahidi said, may have been motivated by the promise of government financial assistance.

Adesnik referenced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s previous comments about Gaza war casualties. “He said 30,000 dead – 14,000 fighters, 16,000 civilians – while Hamas claimed 70% were women and children. This data gives us a clearer picture of the demographic breakdown and supports the IDF’s claim that it is targeting combatants,” he said.

IDF forces are seen operating in Rafah, a city in the Gaza Strip. (IDF Spokesman’s Office)

The broader debate over casualty accuracy intensified after an Israeli strike on March 23 killed 15 humanitarian workers, including a paramedic, according to the United Nations and the Palestinian Red Crescent. The incident sparked outrage. However, the Israeli military stated that “the aid workers were mistakenly identified as terrorists”.

According to preliminary findings, the incident occurred during a covert IDF operation. Roughly two hours earlier, Israeli forces had engaged in a firefight with terrorists in the same area. Later, feeling threatened, an IDF official told Fox News Digital, the troops opened fire on suspicious vehicles. The incident is still under investigation by the IDF.

In a related development, the IDF announced this week that Mohammed Saleh Mohammed Al-Bardawil, a senior Hamas terror leader, was killed in a targeted operation. Although referred to as a journalist in Gaza, the IDF said Bardawil was involved in producing propaganda videos, including footage of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

“The IDF and ISA will continue to target and dismantle Hamas’ infrastructure to mitigate the threat it poses to Israeli civilians,” the military said. In a separate statement, it emphasized: “The IDF makes great efforts to estimate and consider potential civilian collateral damage. The IDF has never, and will never, deliberately target children.”