President Trump's assertion that the U.S. can relocate 1.7 or 1.8 million Palestinians from Gaza raises questions about the true death toll in the region, with experts suggesting the number could be substantially higher than official reports.
President Donald Trump 's claim that the U.S. can relocate '1.7 or 1.8 million' Palestinians has ignited concerns about the true death toll in Gaza . Trump made these remarks last week while unveiling a surprise plan to assume control of the region, which has been ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war that erupted in October 2023. Gaza 's pre-war population was estimated to exceed 2.2 million, and the Gaza Health Ministry's official death count stands at 61,709.
Devi Sridhar, chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, expressed bewilderment at Trump's figures, suggesting they might indicate a significantly higher death toll – a claim that researchers, medical professionals, and public health experts have long maintained.During a press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump declared his intention to see the U.S. acquire the Gaza Strip, develop it into the 'Riviera of the Middle East,' and permanently relocate its Palestinian inhabitants. Sridhar remarked on the lack of public reaction to Trump's statement, noting the casual acceptance of relocating such a large population. She speculated that Trump likely received the most comprehensive intelligence available on the matter, and the repeated use of his cited number implies it originated from American or Israeli officials.Trump's displacement plan was highlighted to reporters during a recent meeting with Netanyahu. A July 2023 study published in the prestigious science journal The Lancet estimated that '186,000 or even more deaths could be attributable to the current conflict in Gaza,' encompassing fatalities resulting from starvation and other war-related consequences. The study employed a 'conservative' estimate of four 'indirect' deaths for every direct death, based on the 37,396 death toll reported by the Gaza Health Ministry at the time. It emphasized that in comparable recent conflicts, 'such indirect deaths range from three to 15 times the number of direct deaths.' The Lancet study also estimated that direct deaths due to traumatic injuries had been significantly underreported by approximately 41 percent, with many bodies remaining undiscovered and buried under rubble. Given the immense scale of destruction, the dearth of healthcare facilities, plumbing, and sanitation, alongside the shortage of food and clean water, experts have expressed the possibility of a death toll reaching hundreds of thousands. Sridhar stated that within the scientific community, these estimates have been widely accepted as plausible, considering data from previous conflicts. Sridhar pointed out that the Gaza Health Ministry's figures have long been considered unreliable, partly due to the war-induced shutdown of the civil registration system. Several experts consulted by CBC News concurred that the official numbers were unlikely to be accurate. Asi, a researcher and assistant professor at the University of Central Florida, stated that Trump's reference to a population of 1.7 or 1.8 million is unsurprising, considering epidemiologists had been warning for months that the death toll could reach hundreds of thousands. Furthermore, Asi noted that over 100,000 Palestinians are believed to have fled to Egypt during the war, a number that could have been factored into Trump's calculations. However, many of these refugees lack secure resident status in Egypt and intend to return to Gaza. Asi suggested that Trump's statement indicates a potential awareness within the U.S. government, including under the Biden administration, that the situation was significantly worse than publicly acknowledged. She argued that Israel, with its extensive surveillance network in Gaza comprising drones and ground troops, likely possesses more accurate death toll figures than the Gaza Health Ministry, which could have been shared with Trump. However, Asi cautioned against taking Trump's pronouncements too seriously, emphasizing his tendency to make unsubstantiated claims. She stressed the need to weigh both the possibility of genuine knowledge and the risk of misinformation when interpreting his words.
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