U.S. Faces Calls To Halt Arms Sales To Israel, After Medical Journal Says Gaza Death Toll Likely Worse

The Biden administration is facing increased calls to halt its weapons sales to Israel, after a letter recently published in a top British medical journal warned that the human toll from the ongoing offensive in Gaza is far worse than anticipated.

The Lancet, a medical journal that says it takes a neutral position regarding territorial claims,published a letter on July 5 by three public health scholars titled, “Counting the dead in Gaza: difficult but essential.”

The Hamas-affiliated Gaza Health Ministry, which has counted the dead at roughly 38,000, is widely regarded by both apolitical experts and political leaders as a credible source, even as it faces hurdles due to the destruction of infrastructure.

Citing that number, the letter’s authors say that, “applying a conservative estimate of four indirect deaths per one direct death,… it is not implausible to estimate that up to 186,000 or even more deaths could be attributable to the current conflict in Gaza.”

If that estimate holds, it would amount to almost 8% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million.

These “indirect” deaths are those caused in the longer term by destroyed infrastructure, famine, lack of sanitation and dysfunctional hospitals problems made dire by the Israeli offensive.

“Armed conflicts have indirect health implications beyond the direct harm from violence. Even if the conflict ends immediately, there will continue to be many indirect deaths in the coming months and years from causes such as reproductive, communicable and non-communicable diseases,” the letter states.

“The total death toll is expected to be large given the intensity of this conflict; destroyed health-care infrastructure; severe shortages of food, water and shelter; the population’s