FALSE: In the Gaza Strip, more civilians have died in a month than in Ukraine during almost two years of full-scale war

A video is circulating online in which an American journalist posed the following question to the Deputy Spokesperson of the U.S. State Department, Vedant Patel: “Biden accused the Russian government of genocide in Ukraine, but Israel, supported by him, killed more civilians in a month than have died in Ukraine in two years. How do you explain this contradiction?“

However, this is untrue. In a month, around 10,000 civilians have died in the Gaza Strip, whereas in Ukraine, over nearly two years, Russian forces have killed a significantly higher number of civilian citizens. In Mariupol alone, destroyed by Russian forces, the number of casualties ranges from 20,000 to 100,000 (it is impossible to provide an exact count due to the city’s occupation).

The snippet of the video containing the journalist’s question, which is being circulated online, was cut from the briefing of the Deputy Spokesperson of the U.S. State Department, Vedant Patel, held on November 7. 

According to the latest available data at the time of publication from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, 10,000 civilians have died, and another 18,500 have been injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. The calculation of the number of casualties in Ukraine is carried out by the Human Rights Monitoring Mission, whose members work in areas near the front line and in deoccupied territories. Additionally, data is obtained through the analysis of judicial documents, official reports, and other open sources.

However, the UN notes that the actual number of casualties among civilians may be significantly higher. Additionally, there is no precise data on the number of people who died as a result of the Russian invasion in temporarily occupied territories, including places like Lysychansk, Popasna, Sievierodonetsk, Bakhmut, and others. Moreover, various estimates suggest that the number of casualties in Mariupol alone ranges from 20,000 to 100,000 people.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, under the control of Hamas, reported on November 10 that there were 11,078 fatalities, 27,490 injuries, and approximately 2,700 individuals are considered missing. However, the department did not differentiate between civilian and military losses. The report mentioned that among the deceased, there were 4,506 children and 3,027 women. The ministry explained that the data on casualties and injuries are collected based on reports from hospitals within the Gaza Strip and reports from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.

International organizations have been unable to verify the accuracy of these data. The United Nations, in turn, relies on information from the Gaza Ministry of Health but acknowledges its inability to verify this information. Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric, pointed out that with the presence of about 13,000 UN personnel in the Gaza Strip, the organization has a good understanding of the situation on the ground.

The United States has expressed doubts about the accuracy of the data provided by the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip but acknowledged that thousands of civilians have died in Gaza. Estimates of the number of casualties also vary for specific attacks.

For instance, after the shelling of Al-Ahli Hospital, the Palestinian authority claimed 471 deaths. In contrast, U.S. representatives stated that between 100 and 300 people were killed as a result.

Such discrepancies in data, the lack of access for human rights organizations, and continuous hostilities in the Gaza Strip complicate the counting process. However, the actual number of civilian casualties in Ukraine exceeds 10,000, so the claim made by the American journalist is untrue.