Biden’s dismissal of the reported Palestinian death toll

The Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 killed more than 1,400 civilians and soldiers, according to count by the Israeli prime minister’s office. Israel’s response — a bombing campaign and now a major ground assault — had killed 8,309 as of Sunday, according to a count by the Gaza Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, a militant group designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department.

In any war, statistics on deaths are fuzzy and subject to change. Almost a month after the Hamas attack, the precise number of dead from it is unclear, as 200 bodies remain unidentified. As of Tuesday, Israel’s Haaretz newspaper had published the names of 1,009 verified dead (657 civilians and the rest soldiers, police and rescue services), with names being added daily.