Open-source monitoring by watchdog group Airwars found a “high correlation” between the Palestinian Ministry of Health’s civilian casualty data and what Palestinian civilians “reported online,” according to a new report. Airwars identified 3,259 civilians who were killed in Gaza between October 7 and 24 — 75% of them were also listed on the Palestinian Ministry of Health’s official list of victims. To draw these conclusions, Airwars’ research team reviewed social media posts, statements from local news outlets, and news releases from non-governmental organizations to identify victims killed during the 17-day period. Analysts cross-referenced names with other biographical data and, where possible, matched these reports with specific incidents that Airwars cataloged since the Israeli offensive began. - “The scale of the civilian toll in Gaza has been one of the most enduring debates in the war,” Airwars’ Head of Investigations Joe Dyke told CNN. “We did this investigation not to get a definitive answer to exactly how many civilians have been killed, but to bring some new evidence to that debate.”
