The health ministry in Gaza says they agree with a study in *The Lancet* about how many people died there during the first nine months of Israel’s attack. This study says there were way more deaths, about 40% more than what the ministry originally said. Dr. Munir al-Bursh, who runs the ministry, says the study is accurate.
Dr. al-Bursh said the ministry trusts the study because it used good science to count the deaths. He explains that the way the study’s team counted people was very careful and accurate making their numbers more believable. The ministry thinks the study’s methods are better than how they counted before. This backing makes the study look really solid.
This agreement from the ministry is a big deal. It means the old numbers of deaths they used are not right anymore. This could change how people understand the war’s impact on the people of Gaza. While we know the study is from *The Lancet*, we don’t know exactly where the researchers got their information in Gaza. Still this new information is important for understanding the situation.