Women and children of Gaza are killed less frequently as war’s toll rises, AP data analysis finds

By JOSEF FEDERMAN and LARRY FENN
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — An Associated Press analysis of Gaza Health Ministry data finds the proportion of Palestinian women and children being killed in the Israel-Hamas war appears to have declined sharply. The trend both coincides with Israel’s changing battlefield tactics and contradicts the ministry’s own public statements. It is significant because the death rate for women and children is the best available proxy for civilian casualties in one of the 21st century’s most destructive conflicts. Israel faces heavy international criticism over unprecedented levels of civilian casualties in Gaza and questions about whether it has done enough to prevent them in an 8-month-old war that shows no sign of ending.