On Monday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” CNN Correspondent Jeremy Diamond reacted to the United Nations revising its numbers of Palestinian women and children by stating that “this isn’t about saying that fewer Palestinian women and children have been killed during this conflict.” And “there are thousands more women and children” that the Hamas-controlled health ministry “says have been killed in this conflict since October 7. But, in many of those cases, they don’t have someone who has identified them by name, with a specific date of birth, for example.” And “both U.S., as well as the United Nations and other humanitarian aid agencies, these officials have all said that the Palestinian Ministry of Health figures have checked out in previous conflicts.”
Host Jake Tapper said, “Last week, the United Nations quietly revised downward its numbers on fatalities for Palestinian women and children. Tell us more about that, what led to the change?”
Diamond responded, “Well, look, Jake, this isn’t about saying that fewer Palestinian women and children have been killed during this conflict. This all has to do with where the United Nations is pulling its data from. The United Nations is now listing women and children who have been killed, but only those who have — whose identities have been fully documented, that means that they know the names, the dates of birth, the identity card numbers of those individuals. But that brings the United Nations to more than 7,000 children who have been killed, about 5,000 women. But there are thousands more women and children that the Palestinian Ministry of Health says have been killed in this conflict since October 7. But, in many of those cases, they don’t have someone who has identified them by name, with a specific date of birth, for example. That brings the Palestinian Ministry of Health to about 15,000 children, about 9,900 women who have been killed. And it’s important to note that both U.S., as well as the United Nations and other humanitarian aid agencies, these officials have all said that the Palestinian Ministry of Health figures have checked out in previous conflicts. But of course, there is a difference between how the Palestinian Ministry of Health sees the casualty figures in Gaza and what the Israeli government is saying. We’ve heard from Israeli government officials, including the Israeli prime minister, now saying they believe that about 14,000-plus militants have been killed and about 16,000 civilians. That’s obviously a very big discrepancy with the numbers coming from the Palestinian Ministry of Health.”
Tapper then noted that the Ministry of Health is run by Hamas doesn’t distinguish between civilians and terrorists. the Palestinian Ministry of Health, obviously run by Hamas itself, and they don’t distinguish between fighters and innocent civilians.
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