Fact Check: Are 70% of casualties in gaza women and children as of March 2025?

Fact Check: Are 70% of casualties in Gaza women and children as of March 2025?

What We Know

The claim that approximately 70% of casualties in Gaza are women and children has been reported by various sources, particularly in the context of the ongoing conflict that escalated significantly in late 2023. According to a report from the UN Human Rights Office, nearly 70% of the verified fatalities in Gaza were indeed women and children, with the agency confirming that from November 2023 to April 2024, around 44% of the verified victims were children and 26% were women. This report was based on the verification of 8,119 deaths during that period.

Additionally, the Gaza health ministry has reported a total death toll exceeding 43,300 over the past 13 months, with children accounting for approximately one in three of those fatalities. However, the UN's analysis specifically pertains to a six-month period and does not encompass the entire duration of the conflict.

Analysis

While the UN's report indicates that nearly 70% of verified casualties were women and children, this figure is derived from a specific timeframe (November 2023 to April 2024) and does not reflect the total casualties since the start of the conflict. A more recent analysis from Reuters suggests that by March 2025, the cumulative numbers showed that women and children accounted for about 51% of the total identified casualties, which contradicts the 70% figure.

Moreover, the reliability of casualty figures in conflict zones can be contentious. The Times of Israel has pointed out that Hamas may manipulate casualty figures for propaganda purposes, which raises questions about the accuracy of reported numbers. The UN's figures are generally regarded as more reliable, but they are still subject to the complexities of conflict reporting and the chaotic nature of war.

The Al Jazeera report indicates that two-thirds of the casualties from Israeli strikes were women and children, which aligns closely with the UN's findings but still does not confirm the 70% claim as a consistent statistic over the entire conflict duration.

Conclusion

The claim that 70% of casualties in Gaza are women and children as of March 2025 is Partially True. While the UN's report supports a high percentage of civilian casualties within a specific timeframe, subsequent analyses suggest that the overall percentage of women and children may be lower when considering the entire conflict. The variability in casualty reporting and the potential for manipulation by involved parties complicate the assessment of this claim.

Sources

1. Nearly 70% of Gaza war dead women and children - UN - BBC
2. Gaza women, children are nearly 70% of verified war dead ... - Reuters
3. Gaza death toll: how many Palestinians has Israel's offensive killed ... - Reuters
4. The Blogs: How Hamas Manipulates Gaza Casualty Figures - Times of Israel
5. Two-thirds of people Israel killed in Gaza strikes were women and children - Al Jazeera
6. Fact Check: Are 70% of casualties in Gaza women and children as of ... - Truth or Fake