"Why does the Star report that “about 1,200 people” were killed in Israel on October 7 —without distinguishing between civilians and fighters — on October 7, but then make a point of stating that the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza “does not distinguish” between civilians and fighters? This is a blatant and inexcusable double standard that only serves to cast doubt on Palestinian casualty figures."
February 7, 2025
To:
Donovan Vincent, Public Editor, Toronto Star
Nicole MacIntyre, Editor-in-Chief, Toronto Star
Mark Ramzy, Ottawa Bureau, Toronto Star
Dear Toronto Star Newsroom,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East to raise concern regarding a troubling double-standard in your article titled: “Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal would amount to ‘ethnic cleansing,’ Liberal MPs say”, published on February 5, 2025.
In your otherwise fair and balanced article, you state:
“Trump’s comments come amid a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel after a war that was sparked when Hamas fighters attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking another 250 hostage. More than 47,000 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli offensive in Gaza that followed, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which does not distinguish between the deaths of civilians and fighters.”
Why does the Star report that “about 1,200 people” were killed in Israel on October 7 —without distinguishing between civilians and fighters — on October 7, but then make a point of stating that the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza “does not distinguish” between civilians and fighters? This is a blatant and inexcusable double standard that only serves to cast doubt on Palestinian casualty figures. A 2024 United Nations Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel found that of the roughly 1,200 Israelis killed on October 7, 314 were Israeli military personnel. The same report concluded that the Israeli military employed the Hannibal Directive, “resulting in the killing of up to 14 Israeli civilians.”
Further, your statement regarding Palestinians implies that there is no available information on the death toll of both civilians and fighters in Gaza. This is simply not the case in a factual sense and also contributes to the growing trend of dehumanizing Palestinians.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) relies on data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza (MoH) to provide detailed breakdowns by gender and age in its reports. As of February 4, 2025, the following statistics were recorded – wherein Israel’s genocide in the occupied Gaza Strip has killed:
- 16,735 men
- 13,319 children
- 7,216 women
- 3,447 elderly
These figures clearly demonstrate that the majority of Palestinians killed by Israel's ongoing genocidal campaign in occupied Gaza are women, children, and the elderly.
Why then, is there an attempt by the Toronto Star to delegitimize Palestinian casualty numbers, especially when international bodies and organizations such as the United Nations and the World Health Organization rely on data from the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza which clearly shows that the majority of Palestinians killed by Israel are civilians?
Furthermore, I want to draw your attention to a detailed report by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), which substantiates the conclusion that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians killed by Israel’s genocidal campaign in the occupied Gaza Strip are civilians, even according to Israel’s data. According to the report, about 8,500 of the reported fatalities are militants, accounting for just one-fifth of the total death toll (43,165).
In light of these facts and in line with the principles of accurate and fair journalism outlined by the Canadian Association of Journalists, I urge the Toronto Star to remove the baseless claim that the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza does not distinguish between militants and civilians, as it is false.
I look forward to your swift and responsible response.
Warm regards,
Lynn Naji
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East