UN says ‘no indication’ Gaza Health Ministry's death toll is ‘false’

By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The UN on Friday said it has "no indication" that the death toll figures released by Gaza's Health Ministry are "false".

“We have no indication that they are false,” the UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters during a daily press briefing.

His remarks came in response to a question about the Biden administration expressing doubt about the accuracy of the death toll announced by the ministry in Gaza.

However, Dujarric also added that the UN is “not in a position to verify those exact numbers” because it is not the UN data.

“But as I said, I think given our presence in health centers and shelters, I think we have a pretty good indication of what's going on the ground,” he continued.

He said that the UN continues to include the Gaza Health Ministry data in its reporting, saying “it is clearly sourced”.

He noted that there are around 13,000 UN staff members on the ground, saying that they "have a pretty good indication of the realities of what is going on the ground.”

President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he is sure Israeli strikes in the besieged Gaza Strip have resulted in civilian casualties, but sought to cast doubt on the official toll from Gaza's Health Ministry.

"I have no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed. I'm sure innocents have been killed," Biden said in response to a question about the civilian death toll in more than two weeks since Israel began its bombardment of the coastal enclave.

Gaza’s Health Ministry released a full list Thursday of Palestinians killed in the ongoing Israeli attacks on the blockaded territory.

The list included 6,747 killed, including 2,665 children. An additional 529 bodies remain to be identified, it added.