| Abstrakt: |
The war in Gaza has brought attention to the challenges of accurately counting casualties in conflicts. Researchers caution that casualty counts are often inaccurate and cannot be easily compared between different conflicts. Belligerents have motivations to downplay their own civilian deaths while highlighting those of their enemies. International organizations face difficulties in accessing conflict zones and collecting reliable data. The number of deaths in Gaza is disputed, with the Gaza health ministry reporting over 10,000 deaths, while the United Nations does not currently have its own figures. Comparisons between conflicts, such as Gaza and Ukraine, are complicated by different methodologies and omissions in casualty estimates. Detailed verification of casualties can take years, and in some cases, it may never be possible. Researchers sometimes estimate the percentage of a population that died in a war by asking survivors about their siblings. However, numbers can be wrong in both directions, and inaccurate counts can distract from the importance of preventing civilian deaths in conflicts. [Extracted from the article] |
