TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – A study published on the Harvard Dataverse platform alleges that Israel has “eliminated” at least 377,000 Palestinian citizens since launching its military campaign in Gaza in 2023.According to the findings, around half of those affected are believed to be children.The report, authored by Israeli Professor Yaakov Garb, was cited by The Cradle on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.Using spatial mapping and data-driven analysis, the report outlines the devastating impact of Israel鈥檚 siege and repeated strikes in Gaza, showing a significant reduction in the enclave’s population.An estimated 377,000 Palestinians are reportedly missing as a result of Israel鈥檚 military operations, a figure that accounts for approximately 17 percent of Gaza鈥檚 current population of 1.85 million.Prior to the campaign, the population of the Gaza Strip stood at about 2.227 million. While some residents may have fled or gone missing, the report suggests that a substantial number were killed by Israeli forces.Professor Garb argues that the officially recorded death toll of 61,000 is likely a severe undercount, as it does not include those still trapped under rubble.In the same report, Garb criticized the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a U.S.- and Israeli-backed aid initiative launched in May, questioning its true purpose.”These aid compounds seem to reflect a logic of control, not assistance, and it would be a misnomer to call them ‘humanitarian aid distribution hubs’. They do not adhere to humanitarian principles, and much of their design and operation is guided by other objectives, which undermine their declared purpose,” he said.The United Nations has accused GHF of contributing to forced displacement. Since its launch on May 26, 2025, Israeli forces have reportedly killed hundreds of Palestinians attempting to access aid distributed through GHF.This study is not the first to suggest that the actual death toll in Gaza may be much higher than officially reported.In January 2025, the medical journal The Lancet published a study estimating that deaths caused by Israel鈥檚 operations in Gaza had been undercounted by up to 41 percent during the first nine months of the war.That study also revealed that approximately 59.1 percent of those killed were women, children, or elderly people.Earlier, in July 2024, The Lancet had also estimated that Israeli attacks on Gaza could have resulted in between 149,000 and 598,000 deaths.Editor’s Choice: Ceasefire Proposal Sparks Mixed Reactions from Iran and IsraelClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News