The claim that the Ministry of Health "does not distinguish between combatants and civilians" is misleading and gives the impression that most Palestinians killed by Israel are combatants when, in fact, the overwhelming majority are civilians.
To the Montreal Gazette,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East regarding the opinion piece published in the Montreal Gazette titled: "Kelly: NAZA is packing theatres and sparking intense conversations in Montreal."
Although the opinion piece is informative and interesting, there is a factual inaccuracy which concerns us.
The article mentions the number of Israeli deaths and hostages taken on Oct 7, 2023. Additionally the article reports - "In the three years since, the Hamas-led Gaza Health Ministry estimates that more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its numbers." This is not entirely accurate.
The claim that the Ministry of Health "does not distinguish between combatants and civilians" is misleading and gives the impression that most Palestinians killed by Israel are combatants when, in fact, the overwhelming majority are civilians.
A UN report from November 2024 concluded that approximately 70 percent of verified deaths were women and children. Even the Israeli military claims that the majority of Palestinians killed are civilians.
The article mentions the number of Israeli deaths and hostages taken on Oct 7, 2023. Additionally the article reports - "In the three years since, the Hamas-led Gaza Health Ministry estimates that more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its numbers." This is not entirely accurate.
The claim that the Ministry of Health "does not distinguish between combatants and civilians" is misleading and gives the impression that most Palestinians killed by Israel are combatants when, in fact, the overwhelming majority are civilians.
A UN report from November 2024 concluded that approximately 70 percent of verified deaths were women and children. Even the Israeli military claims that the majority of Palestinians killed are civilians.
In fact, standard boilerplate language used by wire outlets such as Reuters and the Associated Press acknowledges that, while the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, it has consistently reported that the majority of Palestinians killed by Israel are women and children.
For example, in this article, AP has previously specified that “the Gaza Health Ministry doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants, but has said that women and children make up more than half the 55,000 dead.”
For example, in this article, AP has previously specified that “the Gaza Health Ministry doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants, but has said that women and children make up more than half the 55,000 dead.”
In another instance, AP stated that “Gaza’s health ministry doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, but it says women and children have made up around two-thirds of those killed.”
Due to this established precedent, it is unclear why the Montreal Gazette is perpetuating this misleading framing, even in an opinion piece.
Given the above, we ask that you add a clarification to the opinion piece, specifying that most Palestinians killed by Israel are civilians.
Sincerely,
Debbie Hickey
Volunteer - Media Accountability Project [CJPME]
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