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Media Ignore Quietly-Revised UN Figures of Hamas-Reported Civilian Deaths
Members of the United Nations Security Council meet on the day of a vote on a Gaza resolution that demands an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan leading to a permanent ceasefire, and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, March 25, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war following the October 7 massacre, a concurrent struggle over the accuracy of death toll figures from Gaza has been fought.
In December, our analysis of civilian casualty figures reported by Hamas, which are published daily by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), indicated discrepancies.
Our findings suggest that the reported numbers, particularly those of women and children compared to men and combatants, are significantly exaggerated.
Therefore, it was interesting to read a May 9 OCHA update that significantly altered the portrayal of casualty figures, with the UN effectively conceding the untrustworthiness of Hamas figures. These figures, however, continued to be parroted by various media outlets.
Hamas as a Source
The claim that the vast majority of casualties (approximately 70%) are women and children has been reported widely by the international media, which cites the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, while frequently failing to mention that it’s run by Hamas.
This week, as Hamas reported that the death toll in Gaza is nearing 35,000 people, news outlets once again cited this figure in stories, while adding that most of those killed were women and children.
The UK’s Daily Mirror, for example, reported that since October 7, “around 35,000 people have been massacred in Palestine, with 70% of them being women and children.”
Aside from the grossly inflammatory use of the word “massacred” in a news story (which the Mirror later amended as per our request), the inaccurate 70% statistic also implies a trigger-happy Israeli military that is cavalier about Palestinian civilian deaths.
Similarly, in a May 12 piece about anti-Israel campus protests, the UK’s Independent reported that the “war has killed nearly 35,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.”
Reuters published a piece on May 13 that described how Israel’s “bombardment” of the Strip had “laid waste to the coastal enclave and caused a deep humanitarian crisis,” adding that the death toll has now surpassed “35,000 Palestinians.”
The Washington Post reported on May 10 that nearly 35,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, “which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but says the majority of the dead are women and children.” The article also noted that Israel has reported 13,000 “fighters” killed, but has “not provided supporting evidence” for this claim, a striking reminder of the selective scrutiny applied by the media.
Meanwhile, NBC News included the context-free statement in a May 12 piece that “Gaza’s health ministry said Sunday more than 35,000 people had been killed since Oct. 7, most of them women and children.”
The United Nations Revises the Stats
As mentioned, the UN publishes the Gaza Health Ministry’s casualty figures on OCHA’s website, presumably where most journalists get their figures.
But somehow they ignored the May 9 OCHA update, which should have made headlines.
For the first time, only casualties who have been positively identified are included in the figures, which significantly revised down the death toll for women and children. The additional deaths reported by Hamas are now vaguely classified as “missing” or “under rubble” — a claim that OCHA now specifically attributes to the “Government Media Office” in Gaza, not its health authorities.
Despite these revisions being available on OCHA’s website for days, the international media has blithely continued to regurgitate erroneous statistics in countless articles.
Major change in Gaza fatality report by UN: They now publish only identified fatalities admitting large number are made up by Hamas. Women & children half the “14,000 kids” killed often claim. Now 24,700 fatalities identified and >14,000 are combatants according to IDF. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/MVj5HY2qo7
— Aizenberg (@Aizenberg55) May 10, 2024
This blatant disregard for accuracy in reporting serves as a stark indictment of the media’s purported commitment to the truth during this Israel-Hamas war.
The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
The post Media Ignore Quietly-Revised UN Figures of Hamas-Reported Civilian Deaths first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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New York City Mayor, Police Commissioner Detail Increased Security Measures for Israel Day Parade
Thousands of participants and spectators gather along Fifth Avenue to express support for Israel during the 59th Annual Israel Day Parade in New York City, on June 2, 2024. Photo: Melissa Bender via Reuters Connect
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch held a briefing on Friday morning to detail their “comprehensive security plan” to ensure the safety of New Yorkers at the Israel Day Parade on Sunday.
The theme of this year’s parade is “Hatikvah,” which means “the hope” and is also the title of Israel’s national anthem. Several former hostages — abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorist attack in Israel — will march in the parade on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, including Andrey Kozlov, Ilana Gritzewsky, Aviva and Keith Siegel, Eliya Cohen, and Doron Steinbrecher. The hostages are marching to raise awareness for the 58 people still held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The logo of this year’s parade is a multicolored tree that has a yellow ribbon on its trunk, in solidarity with the hostages.
Almost daily, there have been anti-Israel protests in New York City, including on college campuses, and the city is facing an unprecedented uptick in antisemitism, according to the New York City Police Department (NYPD).
“We will not tolerate any attempts to disrupt this event or engage those who come to celebrate,” Trish started the security briefing on Friday morning by saying. She then detailed measures that will be taken by the NYPD at the parade on Sunday, which include requiring spectators to enter the viewing area through designated screening entry points. No backpacks, chairs, large bags, and other items will be allowed.
Tisch added that, while currently the NYPD is not aware of any specific or credible threats related to the parade, nevertheless there will be a “robust and visible police presence” at the event, including uniformed police officers as well as bomb squads and both counterterrorism and surveillance teams. NYPD helicopters and drones will also be in the area and intelligence teams will be moderating social media for potential threats.
“The NYPD will be out there to make sure Sunday is safe, joyful, and everything that it’s meant to be,” Tisch concluded.
“We want to ensure we have a safe acknowledgement of Israel’s Independence Day on Sunday,” Adams added. “We look forward to the flags and beauty of this celebration.”
Adams announced earlier this week the establishment of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, the first office of its kind to open in a major city in the US. The new mayoral office will aim to tackle “all forms of antisemitism.”
“There is no place for antisemitism and hate in the state of New York. Plain and simple,” Adams said at Friday’s security briefing. “Those who spread hate want to divide us, but we must remain united. A hateful few will not dictate how the rest of us live.”
Adams is scheduled to march in the parade on Sunday. New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James are also scheduled to attend. The parade is organized by the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York with support from the UJA-Federation of New York.
The post New York City Mayor, Police Commissioner Detail Increased Security Measures for Israel Day Parade first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israel’s Yuval Raphael Advances to Grand Final of 2025 Eurovision Song Contest
Yuval Raphael from Israel with the title “New Day Will Rise” on stage at the second semi-final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest in the Arena St. Jakobshalle. Photo: Jens Büttner/dpa via Reuters Connect
Israel’s Yuval Raphael advanced to the grand final of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest after a stunning performance of her song “New Day Will Rise” in the second semi-finals on Thursday night in Basel, Switzerland.
The 24-year-old, who is a survivor of the Oct. 7, 2023, Nova music festival massacre, performed an emotional ballad in English, French, and Hebrew that was written by singer and songwriter Keren Peles. The results of the semi-finals are based solely on public vote.
Ten acts from the second semi-final advanced to the grand final, including performers from Armenia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, and Malta. Raphael will compete in Saturday’s grand final against those acts and the qualifiers from Tuesday’s semi-final. They include performers from Albania, Iceland, Estonia, Portugal, Poland, Sweden, Ukraine, Norway, San Marino, and the Netherlands. Also competing in the grand final is the Eurovision “Big Five” — Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, France, Italy – and Switzerland, which was last year’s winner.
Unlike in the semi-finals, the results of the grand final are based on a combination of the televote and the jury vote, in which professional juries from all 37 participating countries vote for their favorites. Last year, a Eurovision jury member from Norway admitted that he refused to give points to Israel’s representative, Eden Golan, because of his personal resentment toward Israel’s military actions in the Gaza war.
There have been a number of public calls, including from national broadcasters and former Eurovision contestants, to have Israel banned from this year’s competition because of the country’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip targeting the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
During a dress rehearsal for the semi-final on Thursday afternoon, audience members booed at Raphael, whistled, and waved oversized Palestinian flags. Under rules of the competition, all flags are allowed but there are limitations on the size. The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, which is organizing this year’s Eurovision events, said in a released statement that the audience members with the oversized flags were escorted out of the St Jakobshalle arena by security personnel.
The 2025 Eurovision Song Contest grand final will take place on Saturday night in Basel’s St Jackobshalle arena. The detailed results of the second semi-final will be revealed after the grand final.
The post Israel’s Yuval Raphael Advances to Grand Final of 2025 Eurovision Song Contest first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Iran, Europeans Hold Nuclear Talks, Agree to More, Diplomats Say
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. Photo: Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via REUTERS
Diplomats from Iran and the three European parties remaining in a moribund 2015 nuclear deal met in Istanbul on Friday, Iranian and British officials said, their first round of talks since the US began nuclear talks with Tehran in April.
The talks between senior diplomats from Iran and Britain, France, and Germany – known as the E3 – took place as US President Donald Trump pushes for a deal to limit Iran‘s nuclear program. On Friday he called on Iran to move quickly after he said his administration had put forward a proposal to Iran.
An Iranian source close to the negotiating team said Tehran has yet to receive the US proposal, “but Oman has got it and will hand it over to Tehran soon.”
The European powers are not part of current negotiations between Iran and the United States, the fourth round of which ended in Oman on Sunday. A new round has not been scheduled yet.
However, they have held repeated talks with the Iranians most recently in March where they discussed how they saw the parameters of a deal to replace the 2015 accord.
The three powers have sought to coordinate with Washington notably on whether and when they should reimpose UN sanctions against Tehran – known in diplomatic circles as the “snapback mechanism” – if no agreement is reached.
That coordination has not been easy with European diplomats bemoaning a lack of clarity in US policy on its negotiations with Tehran.
Iran and the Europeans agreed to hold further talks if needed, Iran‘s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on X on Friday.
“Iran and the three European countries are determined to maintain and make optimal use of diplomacy,” Gharibabadi said. “We will meet again to continue the discussions if necessary.”
British diplomat Christian Turner said on X that Iran and the E3 shared a commitment to dialogue and that they agreed to meet again, without giving a timeframe.
Under the terms of a UN resolution ratifying the 2015 nuclear pact, the three European powers have until October 18 to trigger the snapback mechanism before the resolution expires.
According to diplomats and a document seen by Reuters, the E3 countries may do this by August if no substantial deal can be found by then.
Relations between the E3 and Iran have worsened over the last year despite sporadic meetings, against a backdrop of new sanctions imposed on Tehran over its ballistic missile program, its detention of foreign citizens and support for Russia in its war against Ukraine.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met the equivalent of national security advisers of the E3 powers also in Istanbul on Friday to discuss Iran and Ukraine, a US official said.
The post Iran, Europeans Hold Nuclear Talks, Agree to More, Diplomats Say first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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