by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
(Worthy News) – Newly released figures from Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry show that the territory recorded natural population growth of 1.2 percent in 2025, raising fresh questions about widely publicized claims of mass starvation and the proportion of women and children killed during Israel’s war against Hamas.
According to an analysis published October 27 by the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC), Gaza recorded 50,227 births and 24,650 deaths in 2025, producing a natural population increase of 25,577 people. The findings were highlighted Wednesday by the Washington Free Beacon and subsequently reported by JNS.
The figures also challenge claims that women and children accounted for 70 percent of Gaza’s casualties. Of the 24,650 deaths recorded, 18,085—or 73.4 percent—were male, while 6,565, or 26.6 percent, were female. However, the data do not establish how many of those killed were Hamas combatants, and the male category includes boys.
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New Mortality Figures Challenge UN Famine Assessment
AIJAC also questioned the United Nations-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which declared famine in Gaza Governorate in August 2025.
According to the analysis, Gaza’s Health Ministry recorded 5,780 nonviolent deaths throughout 2025, fewer than the 6,061 deaths recorded in 2022, before the war began.
AIJAC argued that these figures were inconsistent with the mortality thresholds associated with famine, concluding that the reported death toll did not support the IPC’s earlier assessment.
However, the IPC’s August 2025 determination also relied on severe food insecurity and acute malnutrition measurements, while warning that deaths unrelated to combat were likely underreported because of Gaza’s devastated health infrastructure. The United Nations maintained its famine finding in December, although it said conditions had improved following the October ceasefire.
The new analysis adds to a continuing dispute over the reliability of Gaza’s wartime statistics, which have frequently been cited in international accusations against Israel.
Israel has repeatedly rejected allegations of genocide, maintaining that its military campaign was directed against Hamas following the terrorist organization’s October 7, 2023, massacre.
Although the new figures do not independently resolve questions surrounding civilian casualties or food insecurity, they introduce another significant challenge to how Gaza’s humanitarian crisis has been portrayed internationally.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
