UN affirms accuracy of Gaza Ministry of Health death toll figures

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
30 Nov 2023 21:36
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The UN spokesman said that figures from the Health Ministry of Gaza were accurate.

Palestinians walk by a destroyed building in Jebaliya refugee camp, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023 (AP Photo/Mohammed Hajjar)

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric stated on Thursday that the United Nations relies on the death toll figures provided by Gaza's Ministry of Health and deems them generally accurate.

"The numbers that we're using are from the Ministry of Health in Gaza. We have found them by and large to be correct," Dujarric said during a press briefing.

The spokesperson explained that the decision to utilize the death toll figures from Gaza is rooted in the UN's unfortunate experience in the region, where a significant number of UN staff have lost their lives in recent years due to the ongoing aggression.

As of mid-November, 104 United Nations employees in the Gaza Strip have lost their lives due to "Israel's" extensive and indiscriminate strikes as well as the ground invasion of the Palestinian enclave.

Since the start of "Israel's" aggression on Gaza, Gaza's health ministry has registered the deaths of over 18,000 Palestinians.

According to the latest estimates by UNRWA, nearly 1.8 million individuals have been displaced in the region, which is about 80% of the total population, with almost 191,000 seeking shelter in 124 UNRWA installations, including those in northern Gaza.

Following almost 2 months of war, the Israelis have failed to reach any of the Resistance's high-ranking officials, falling short of accomplishing their announced war goals.

"Israel" and the resistance had agreed to extend a temporary truce by another day, as reported by Qatar, which has been mediating between the two sides.

The extension was announced moments before the truce was set to expire at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) on Thursday.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry stated that the truce would continue under the same terms as before, involving the release of 10 Israeli captives per day in exchange for the release of 30 Palestinian prisoners.