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The Washington Post Uses Misleading Data to Castigate Israel for Death of Children
Israeli soldiers inspect the entrance to what they say is a tunnel used by Hamas terrorists during a ground operation in a location given as Gaza, in this handout image released Nov. 9, 2023. Photo: Israel Defense Forces/Handout via REUTERS
On November 13, 2023, The Washington Post published an in-depth report on the toll that Israel’s war against Hamas has taken on the people of Gaza.
Of particular focus were the child casualties in Gaza. Based on the numbers published by the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health, the report stated that, at the time of publication, more than 4,000 children had been killed in Gaza.
In comparing the number of children killed in Gaza to the number of children killed in other major world conflicts, The Washington Post created the impression that the damage wrought by Israel in its fight against Hamas is unique in the annals of modern warfare.
First, given that has Hamas is a terrorist organization, and has been caught lying about casualty figures — such as during the al-Ahli Hospital blast — it’s impossible to know if those numbers are accurate.
Second, Evan Hill, one of The Washington Post’s investigative journalists, even tweeted that this comparison of casualties suggests “The Israeli bombing campaign in Gaza might be killing children at a rate unprecedented in 21st-century conflict.”
The Israeli bombing campaign in Gaza might be killing children at a rate unprecedented in 21st-century conflict, this data suggests.
(By @RubyMellen @arturgalocha & @juledurg)
https://t.co/wzk9hntG36 pic.twitter.com/9rY0qOHTG7
— Evan Hill (@evanhill) November 14, 2023
However, further investigation by freelance journalist Omer Biran found The Washington Post’s findings to be faulty, as they dramatically understated the total number of children killed in these other conflicts.
Biran found that child casualty statistics from Iraq and Afghanistan failed to give the complete picture, as they did not include the numbers from the first years of those wars.
For the war in Afghanistan (which began in 2001), The Washington Post reportedly relied on UN statistics that began in 2009 (a gap of 8 years). Similarly, for the war in Iraq (which began in 2003), The Post relied on statistics from when UNICEF began tracking these casualties in 2008 (a gap of 5 years).
Biran also observed that The Washington Post relied on heavily conservative numbers that have been verified by international bodies. However, even these organizations agree that the numbers are likely much higher than those that have been independently verified.
For example, The Washington Post stated that, based on the UN, the total number of children killed during the Syrian Civil War was 12,000.
In 2021, UNICEF’s representative in Syria stated that the “actual numbers are likely to be much higher” while, in 2022, the United Nations Human Rights Office estimated that the total number of children killed was at least 27, 126.
Similarly, the number of children killed in Yemen during its civil war is actually much higher than The Washington Post’s estimate of 4,000 children.
According to a November 2021 UN report, the death toll from the civil war would reach 377,000 casualties, with over 70% of these casualties being under the age of five. It should be noted that this estimate includes both direct and indirect casualties. The Gaza Ministry of Health also does not differentiate between direct and indirect casualties.
Aside from the incongruence of the years given by The Washington Post for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the numbers of child casualties in these wars are also thought to be much higher than those given in this piece.
While The Washington Post gave the number of children killed in Afghanistan to be 8,000, it is estimated that over 70,000 Afghani and Pakistani civilians were directly killed during this war. Statistically, the number would then be most likely much higher than 8,000.
In Iraq, UNICEF agrees that the number of children killed during that conflict is much higher than the verified number of 3,119, which was used by The Washington Post.
In a joint statement, the 27-member bloc condemned Hamas for the use of hospitals and civilians as “human shields.”
At the same time, the EU asked Israel “for maximum restraint and targeting in order to avoid human casualties.”https://t.co/gX32ezjRXG pic.twitter.com/O9Lu02Ypmp
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) November 13, 2023
Whether in Gaza, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, or Afghanistan, the death of innocent children during war is tragic.
However, The Washington Post’s attempt to contextualize the number of children killed in Gaza by using incomplete statistics about other 21st-century wars does nothing other than help to prop up a false and toxic narrative about Israel’s conduct in its fight against the Hamas terror organization.
The post The Washington Post Uses Misleading Data to Castigate Israel for Death of Children first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.