A recent analysis published in The Lancet and highlighted by The Economist has raised urgent concerns about the true scale of loss in Gaza, suggesting that the death toll from Israel’s military campaign could be far greater than what official figures reflect.

As of 11 May, Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported over 52,000 deaths since the start of the war. But researchers say the actual number could range from 77,000 to more than 100,000—potentially 5% of Gaza’s pre-war population. The estimate comes from cross-referencing multiple databases, including hospital records and personal accounts shared online. The findings suggest that many names may have been missed or removed, and that the collapse of Gaza’s institutions has made comprehensive documentation nearly impossible.

Beyond the immediate casualties, the study warns of thousands more dying silently—those whose lives were cut short not by bombs, but by hunger, untreated illnesses, and the destruction of Gaza’s health infrastructure. With crossings sealed, medical care blocked, and hospitals overwhelmed or destroyed, the full scope of loss may never be truly known.

While numbers offer a way to measure tragedy, they cannot convey the depth of loss endured daily by Palestinians—families erased, neighbourhoods flattened, and a society pushed to the edge of survival.