However, the British medical journal The Lancet issued a harrowing warning that the true death toll of the Gaza conflict could be over 186,000, 8% of Gaza’s population.
The destruction of healthcare facilities, food distribution networks, and sanitation systems has left the population in a perilous state. The Lancet highlighted the difficulty of collecting accurate data in the middle of such widespread destruction. The prediction that casualties in Gaza could reach 186,000 is based on the calculation that for every person killed directly by the war 4 people will die indirectly. The Lancet article said that "in recent conflicts, the number of indirect deaths has ranged from 3 to 15 times the number of direct deaths.”
In a related development, Iranian media on Monday reported Iran's new President Masoud Pezeshkian as saying that he will continue to strongly support Hezbollah and other militias in the region. He said he appreciates the role of resistance movements in the region in "fighting Israel's criminal and aggressive policies", and said support for those movements will continue to be strong.