Data from the "Palestinian Health Ministry" demonstrates there is no genocide occurring in Gaza. This conclusion emerges from groundbreaking research conducted by the Tamaror research group for Israeli-Palestinian conflict studies. Professor Gilad Hirschberger from Reichman University led the investigation, collaborating with Professor Sivan Hirsch-Hoefler and Dr. Lt. Col. (Ret.) Shaul Arieli.
The research team analyzed statistical distributions of casualty data from the Gaza Strip spanning November 2023 to the present, utilizing figures published by Hamas-controlled health authorities. "The Gaza Health Ministry (GMH) operates as a partisan entity rather than a neutral source; its Hamas connections and political role in the conflict demand cautious interpretation of its data," the researchers document.
The ministry's inability to differentiate between civilian and armed casualties, combined with its failure to separate natural deaths from war-related fatalities, presented additional analytical challenges. Working within these constraints, the researchers focused exclusively on the proportion of men aged 17-55 among the deceased, representing the demographic most likely to include active combatants.
Initial findings revealed a "consistent and gradual reduction in total Palestinian casualties (in Gaza) throughout the conflict period." Furthermore, "during early war phases (characterized by extensive aerial bombardment), civilian casualty numbers significantly exceeded armed combatant fatalities. During this period, fighting-age men comprised approximately 20% of total casualties."
The most significant discovery showed that "across nearly two years of continuous combat operations, the proportion of (potential) armed casualties increased beyond 45%, indicating increasingly precise targeting and corresponding civilian casualty reductions." This data demonstrates that as the conflict progressed, men aged 17-55 represented an ever-growing percentage of total fatalities.
"The data reveals, despite inherent limitations, substantially higher civilian casualties during initial war stages, while recent months show fighting-age casualties approaching 50% of the total. This demonstrates IDF fire concentration on this specific demographic, indicating military efforts focus on eliminating terrorists. Combat forces avoid targeting children, women or elderly populations, instead concentrating on military-age individuals," Professor Hirschberger explained.
"No evidence supports this"
He stresses that his research avoids determining whether alleged "genocide" exists in Gaza, recognizing this as fundamentally a legal determination. Nevertheless, he emphasizes that "the evidence shows increasingly precise fire concentration on this demographic group. This indicates successful efforts to target terrorists while protecting civilians. If Israel intended population destruction, military operations would target all demographic segments equally, and Hamas' own data would reflect this pattern. Current evidence shows no such pattern. No evidence supports this."
Hirschberger concluded that this analytical methodology will enable future examination of alleged starvation conditions in Gaza, as nutritional data can undergo similar statistical analysis.
