The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics refutes the claim made by the former Mossad official regarding the decline of Gaza’s population to 700,000
Translation: Lana Dmaidi
| The claim |
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A former Israeli official claims that Gaza’s population does not exceed 700,000. |
The Hebrew website “Kipa” quoted former Mossad official Oded Elam claiming that Gaza’s population does not exceed 700,000, rather than approximately two million.
Some Palestinian accounts reshared this statement without referencing the actual population of Gaza or verifying its accuracy, contributing to the spread of misleading information about the region’s demographics.
The Palestinian observatory “Tahaqaq” investigated the claim by reviewing public sources and contacting the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. It found that the statements attributed to former Mossad official Oded Elam, as reported by the Hebrew website “Kipa,” are misleading.
Lo’ai Shihadeh, Head of Public Relations and Media at the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, confirmed this to “Tahaqqaq,” clarifying that Gaza’s population is estimated at approximately 2.1 million.
Shihadeh noted a 6% decline in Gaza’s population by the end of 2024 due to the martyrdom of approximately 45,484 Palestinians since the war began on October 7, 2023, in addition to around 100,000 Palestinians leaving the Strip since the start of the aggression. However, he emphasized that this departure does not indicate permanent migration but rather a temporary displacement due to the current circumstances.
Elam drew a comparison between the situation of displaced people in Gaza due to the war and that of refugees and displaced populations in other conflict-affected regions. In a statement to the Israeli Channel 7, he said: “In Syria, Jordan, Turkey, and Iraq, 3.3 million refugees have been living in tents for 13 years, in addition to 700,000 Afghans in Pakistan who have been in similar conditions for over a decade.”
He also confirmed in his interview with the channel that the reconstruction of Gaza is not an inevitability, but should be part of a comprehensive process that includes reforms to the educational system and many other issues. This view aligns with his statements to the “Kipa” website regarding Gaza’s reconstruction, which included misleading statistics about the population of the Strip.
A 6% decline in Gaza’s population by the end of 2024
According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics report, based on figures from the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the number of martyrs in Gaza has reached 45,484, including 17,581 children and 12,048 women, in addition to around 11,000 missing persons. Approximately 108,090 citizens have been injured by the end of December 2024.
The Strip also witnessed the departure of around 100,000 Palestinians since the beginning of the Israeli war on Gaza, which erupted following the events of October 7, 2023, and lasted for fifteen months, resulting in widespread destruction of the infrastructure and the Gazans’ society.
According to United Nations reports, the war left more than 50 million tons of rubble, which could take 21 years to remove at an estimated cost of around 1.2 billion dollars. Over 245,000 housing units were damaged or destroyed, displacing around 1.8 million people in need of emergency shelter. The damage also affected essential infrastructure, with 57% of water and sanitation facilities being damaged, along with more than 200 government buildings, 136 schools and universities, 823 mosques, and three churches.
In the West Bank, the large-scale military operation launched by the Israeli occupation forces on January 21, 2025, under the name “Iron Wall,” continues, targeting armed resistance fighters in Jenin and Tulkarem. The operations have led to the displacement of around 40,000 Palestinians and widespread destruction of infrastructure, resulting in long-term displacement.
The operations lasted for seven weeks, targeting refugee camps in Tulkarem, Nur Shams, and Jenin, with reports indicating efforts to enhance the security of Israeli settlements and exert greater control over the Palestinians. On March 12, an Israeli youth was injured in a shooting near the Ariel settlement, with Hamas claiming responsibility for the attack, confirming that it was a response to the Israeli military operations.
| The result |
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“Tahaqqaq” investigation revealed that the claim made by a former Mossad official regarding the decline in Gaza’s population is misleading. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics confirmed that Gaza’s population is estimated at 2.1 million, not 700,000. The recorded 6% decrease is attributed to the martyrdom of over 45,000 Palestinians. |
| Prosecution sources | Verification sources |
| Israeli website “Kiba”, Archived. |
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