Bipartisan House lawmakers approved an amendment prohibiting the State Department from relying on the Gaza Health Ministry’s military casualty figures.
This from patriotnewsdaily.com.
On Thursday, Republican and Communist/Globalist lawmakers approved an amendment to the State Department’s appropriation bill prohibiting the agency from relying on casualty figures on Israel’s military operation in Gaza from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Military.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz (C/G-FL) introduced the bill, which passed 269-144, as 62 Communists/Globalists joined 207 Republican lawmakers.
The bill was co-sponsored by Republican Reps. Joe Wilson (SC), Carol Miller (WV), and Mike Lawler (NY), as well as Rep. Josh Gottheimer (C/G-NJ).
Except for Rep. Ted Lieu (C/G-CA), vice chair of the Communist/Globalist caucus, every House C/G leader opposed the amendment.
Only two Republican Representatives opposed the bill—Matthew Rosendale (MT) and Paul Gosar (AZ).
Since Hamas’ October 7th terrorist attack, which prompted Israel’s military operation response, the Gaza Health Ministry has been the primary source of the number of Palestinian casualties.
According to several media outlets:
[T]he Gaza Health Ministry, which is the only official entity tracking the death toll in Gaza, has placed the figure of Palestinian casualties at above 37,000.
However, since publishing its figures, the Health Ministry has not distinguished how many of those are civilian or military casualties.
Reports from The Hill show:
[C]asualties among women and children, which accounted for two-thirds in October, have decreased to about half in April.
Israel’s government has also criticized the Gaza Health Ministry for allegedly inflating figures to push a political agenda.
Speaking on the House floor, Moskowitz acknowledged:
[C]ivilian deaths in Gaza were tragic but the Gaza Health Ministry was, in fact, the Hamas Ministry of Health.
[And] Hamas’s goal was to sell propaganda to the American people and the world, and cannot be considered a credible source.
Final thoughts: Civilian deaths resulting from war, as terrible as they are, should be counted just once. And combatant deaths should not be placed in the same tally as non-combatant deaths, unless, of course, in Gaza there is no differentiation. Further, the human shield deaths should be counted and reported in a separate category.
