The British medical journal, The Lancet, has issued a stark warning that the actual death toll from the Gaza conflict may surpass 186,000, representing about 8 percent of Gaza’s population.

Currently, official figures from Gazan government sources place the death toll at nearly 38,200. However, The Lancet’s latest report, titled "Counting the Dead in Gaza: Difficult but Essential," published on Friday, suggests this number is a substantial underestimate.

The true death toll likely includes those still trapped under rubble and victims who have died from secondary effects of the conflict, such as malnutrition, disease, and lack of medical care.

A significant factor in the high casualty rate is the 14,000 bombs, each weighing 2,000 pounds, provided by the US to Israel. These bombs have not only caused immediate fatalities but also severely damaged Gaza’s infrastructure, worsening conditions that lead to further deaths.

The destruction of healthcare facilities, food distribution networks, and sanitation systems has left the population in a dire situation. The Lancet emphasizes the challenge in obtaining accurate data due to the extensive destruction.

According to The Lancet, the reported deaths are likely underestimated. The non-governmental organization Airwars conducts detailed assessments of incidents in Gaza and often finds that not all identifiable victims are included in the Ministry’s lists. Additionally, the UN estimates that as of February 29, 2024, 35 percent of buildings in Gaza had been destroyed, leaving an estimated 10,000 bodies still buried in the rubble.

The report warns that the total death toll is expected to be high given the intensity of the conflict, the destroyed healthcare infrastructure, severe shortages of food, water, and shelter, the population’s inability to flee to safe areas, and the loss of funding to UNRWA, one of the few humanitarian organizations still active in Gaza.

Nine months into the Israeli war, large areas of Gaza remain in ruins under a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.