In a sharp rebuke to the United States administration, the Palestinian health ministry released a report on Thursday containing the names of 7,028 Palestinians who were killed in Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip since the war began on 7 October. The release of the report comes after US President Joe Biden questioned the accuracy of the death toll provided by the Palestinians.

President Biden recently stated that he has "no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth" about the number of people killed by Israel. He added that he believes innocents have been killed, but sees it as "the price of waging a war." These comments sparked outrage from the Palestinian health ministry, which accused the US administration of being "devoid of human standards, morals, and basic human rights values."

The comprehensive 210-page report includes the names, ages, genders, and ID numbers of every person killed in the enclave. The ministry stated that an English version of the report will be made available soon. According to the report, between 7 October and 3pm local time on 26 October, the death toll reached 7,028, including 2,913 children. The gender breakdown shows 3,129 females and 3,899 males. However, the report does not include those buried without being brought to the hospital, those without completed registration procedures, and around 1,600 people missing under rubble.

The ministry emphasized that the actual death toll is likely to be much higher than stated in the report, due to these exclusions. Health ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra stated, "Let the world know that behind every number is the story of a person whose name and identity are known. Our people are not nobodies who can be ignored."

Despite President Biden casting doubt on the validity of the death toll, the Palestinian health ministry's figures have been widely regarded as reliable by experts in the past. The ministry has been cited in nearly 20 "situation reports" by the US State Department.

Various organizations and individuals have criticized President Biden's remarks. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called his comments "shocking and dehumanizing" and has demanded an apology. CAIR's executive director, Nihad Awad, urged President Biden to watch videos coming out of Gaza and reflect on the reality of the suffering endured by Palestinian women and children.

It remains to be seen how the release of the detailed report will impact the international discourse surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict and the ongoing war in Gaza. As the world assesses the figures and their implications, the intense scrutiny on the Biden administration's stance continues to grow.