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On June 27, 2024, Congress voted in support of the passage of Rep. Jared
Moskowitz's amendment to the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and
Related Programs Appropriations Act of 2025 H.R. 8771 H.Amdt.1052, which
prohibits the State Department from citing statistics obtained from the Gaza
Health Ministry. It is the only official entity tracking death data in Gaza,
with its figures regularly being cited by both U.S. and Israeli officials. The
amendment passed with a vote of 269 for and 144 against.
The State Department, The World Health Organization, the U.N., and news agencies
around the world have all cited the Gaza Health Ministry for decades amidst
conflicts in Gaza. In the current conflict that began in October 2023, their
daily death toll counts have served as a primary source for understanding the
war's impact on Palestinians in the territory. According to their most recent
release, just under 38,000 Palestinians have died in the conflict since Oct. 7.
The agency has noted that these figures are very likely an undercount due to
Gaza's lack of medical infrastructure, and many are still missing or trapped
under rubble.
The World Health Organization, the U.N., and other international bodies have
consistently verified the death toll numbers reported by the Gaza Health
Ministry are accurate in this and prior conflicts. Despite the current figures
likely being undercounted, the Gaza Health Ministry's reliability is undeniable.
H.R.8771 - Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2025 (Congress.Gov)
H.Amdt.1052 to H.R.8771 (Congress.Gov, 6-27-24)
Roll Call 313 Bill Number: H. R. 8771 (Clerk, 6-27-24)
House votes to ban State Department from citing Gaza Health Ministry death toll statistics (The Hill, 6-27-24)
'Genocide denial': US Congress passes amendment denying Gaza death toll (Middle East Eye, 6-28-24)