Talk:Bombing of the Gaza Strip (2023–present)

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Hamas run casualties
There is an ongoing disagreement between editors about whether "Per Hamas:" should be included on the casualty count for this article.


 * Yes – As the editor who added it. In similar-style of articles where one side directly involved in the conflict states the casualties, that said is also mentioned. Examples of this include Siege of Mariupol ("Per Russia" / "Per Ukraine"), Battle of Kherson ("Per Russia"), and even for this conflict with the Siege of Khan Yunis having "Per Israel" & "Per Hamas". This was removed by with the reasoning, "discussed extensively on related talks". That is not a valid reason for removal as each article and topic must be discussed individually unless a Wikipedia-wide consensus for the conflict for it takes place. A large discussion has not taken place as far as I am aware, and other articles in this conflict have notes when one side of the conflict states the casualties. I !vote to restore this until a community consensus decides not to specifically either in relation to the Israel-Hamas war (affecting all articles under it) or it is removed from all war infoboxes (very unlikely). Do to CTOPS nature, I am not restoring it for at least 24 hours if no responses are given here. The Weather Event Writer (Talk Page) 18:45, 16 March 2024 (UTC)
 * TL;DR – Support !vote for the Infobox format and layout as of this edit with an oppose !vote to the layout as of this edit, the current layout. The Weather Event Writer (Talk Page) 22:19, 16 March 2024 (UTC)


 * No – I don't have any issue with a note similar to the one used on the Israel–Hamas war infobox: "Per Gaza Health Ministry, the total number of deaths are 31,553" with a breakdown listed below. Just searching that page's talk archive for the term "Hamas-run" comes up with multiple discussions about using the phrase "Hamas-run" prior to the GHM: Updating language: The term "Hamas-run", RFC on infobox casualties, Why are we using Hamas casualty figures for civilians?, infobox attribution inline. This is all to say that although there is no Wiki-wide consensus, this exact topic has been discussed at length by many more editors on the main war page than are likely to contribute here. Neither the term "per Hamas" nor "per Hamas-run GHM" are included in the infobox there in regards to the GHM or total civilian casualty counts, so I would be strongly disinclined to introduce that language here. CarmenEsparzaAmoux (talk) 20:06, 16 March 2024 (UTC)
 * — In that case, would you restore that part of the addition then? I do not want to as that is a reversion, but we both seem to be in agreement a “Per GHM” is acceptable. Note, I still believe “Per Hamas” is better and I will let others comment on that, but “Per GHM” should be added/restored. The Weather Event Writer (Talk Page) 20:28, 16 March 2024 (UTC)
 * @WeatherWriter I actually never removed that part of the addition! Per GHM is included now as a footnote, similar to how the Israel-Hamas war infobox currently displays the information. CarmenEsparzaAmoux (talk) 20:42, 16 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Ok then we still don't fully agree on the format then. The footnote is not actually the standard method. The Template:Israel–Hamas war infobox even shows that, where it says "Per Israel" or "Per Hamas" format outside of a footnote. As I stated in my "Yes" !vote earlier, that is used on tons of other articles like the Battle of Kherson or even Siege of Khan Yunis. The format which you removed should be like this:
 * Per the Gaza Health Ministry:
 * 30,717+ people killed
 * 72,156+ people injured
 * 7,000+ missing
 * That is the standard format for casualty articles, which is also used in the Israel-Hamas war infobox. Basically, what I'm asking you to restore is the bolded "Per" format, removing the enf note, which is not the standard format. The Weather Event Writer (Talk Page) 20:57, 16 March 2024 (UTC)
 * I think where there might be a little oversight here is that there's a slight but important distinction made in the format used based on casualty type. I'm not sure when the decision was made, but the bolding "Per" format is used for Palestinian militant casualty totals as provided by Hamas (you will see that in the article and template you posted above), while the footnote format is standard when discussing GHM casualty counts within the Gaza Strip. Since we're discussing GHM numbers from within Gaza in this article, I think using the latter format makes more sense. CarmenEsparzaAmoux (talk) 22:14, 16 March 2024 (UTC)
 * I guess we shall have to agree to disagree on that then. I will be keeping an eye on this discussion to see if and/or when other editors comment or !vote about this. The Weather Event Writer (Talk Page) 22:16, 16 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Sounds good. Overall, I think you're absolutely right that a consensus on standardization across articles is a great idea (even if we disagree on what that standardization should be!) CarmenEsparzaAmoux (talk) 22:19, 16 March 2024 (UTC)

Oregon University?
The introduction mentions an article published by the Guardian and conducted by researchers at CUNY and Oregon State University. Can someone with admin privileges please change the hyperlink text from "Oregon University" to "Oregon State University"? Thank you! Wschreyer (talk) 04:12, 28 May 2024 (UTC)
 * ✅ CarmenEsparzaAmoux (talk) 15:06, 30 May 2024 (UTC)

Casualties only from the bombing
To date I have not come across any list of casualties that are only from the bombing and not from other Israeli operations. The exception here is this report considers casualties only from "explosive weapon use". Its conclusion is that there have been 15,797 civilian casualties. It doesn't have the complete demographic breakdown, but the partial demographic breakdown it has suggests the civilian casualties are: 25% men, 25% women and 50% children. VR (Please ping on reply) 08:20, 10 June 2024 (UTC)

Strela etc
I'm not sure why Strela, Igla etc are mentioned in the infobox. MANPADs are incapable of shooting down high flying aircraft, certainly not F-35s. I don't recall any such incident either. I'm removing this.VR (Please ping on reply) 08:28, 10 June 2024 (UTC)

70,000 tons?
That number is sourced from a report from “Euro Med Monitor”, and then another article from a Turkish news outlet which is also quoting that report. I don’t know who Euro Med Monitor is, but their report does not read like a neutral, objective, or rigorous finding. The only part in the report addressing this figure is this sentence:

“It is estimated that Israel has dropped more than 70,000 tons of explosives on the Gaza Strip"

There is no methodology and it’s not even clear who is doing this estimation.

I’m not familiar with this Turkish news outlet, but I could not RS quoting this figure from this NGO. It seems rather unlikely, and not a number Wikipedia should be suggesting is a fact. Telecart (talk) 17:09, 17 June 2024 (UTC)


 * Exact my thoughts. This should be changed in the article immediately. Half volley dropshot (talk) 22:09, 20 June 2024 (UTC)
 * Third citation is from a Robert Pape article in Foreign Affairs. Relevant quote is "Israel has... dropped at least 70,000 tons of bombs on the territory (surpassing the combined weight of bombs dropped on London, Dresden, and Hamburg in all of World War II)". CarmenEsparzaAmoux (talk) 21:34, 24 June 2024 (UTC)
 * Thanks for adding a third source but I don’t think it helps; the reference to Dresden etc. suggests to me he’s referencing this article in Wikipedia rather than having any independently validated RS for this reference. Certainly there’s nothing in the article to suggest any methodology that Pape researched this figure himself. Telecart (talk) 12:43, 29 June 2024 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 18 June 2024
Change Israel's bombing campaign of the Gaza Strip began within hours of Hamas militants and their allies entering into Israel. The citation (10) does not match/support the statement.

It should read: Oct. 7, 2023: Air raid sirens begin sounding in Jerusalem around 6:30 a.m. local time, warning citizens of the attack in progress and to immediately take cover. An estimated 2,200 rockets were fired toward southern and central Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, by the Hamas militants. Armed Hamas terrorists and citizens of Gaza, many on motorcycles, storm blockaded areas, shooting at and slaughtering people in kibbutzim and small towns. Video footage surfaces of Hamas militants taking people -- including mothers, small children, and the elderly -- hostage and carrying them across the Gaza border. Over 1,200 people were murdered in Israel, citizens and non-citizens alike, and over 200 people were taken hostage

Israel's air raid response began on Oct. 17. Ewereallythinkthat (talk) 09:23, 18 June 2024 (UTC)
 * ❌ Citation does support statement. Relevant quotation from the 7 October 2023 New York Times article reads: "Hamas fired thousands of rockets toward Israeli cities, and Palestinian militants crossed into southern Israel, killing civilians and holding Israelis hostage. Israel retaliated with major strikes across the blockaded Gaza Strip, leveling multistory buildings, including a residential building with approximately 100 units." CarmenEsparzaAmoux (talk) 21:30, 24 June 2024 (UTC)
 * It seems like a fair point that within hours doesn't appear to be backed up by the NYT article, though, no? — xDanielx  T/C\R 22:35, 24 June 2024 (UTC)
 * That's actually a really good point. The Times didn't give a timeline of the day. I'll edit that. CarmenEsparzaAmoux (talk) 23:56, 24 June 2024 (UTC)

IDF figures
By a non-independent source, I was not referring to Ynet news, but to the IDF as an involved party. Clearly, the IDF figures belong to an alternative reality, which independent sources disagree with. Including IDF figures without their refutation would be misleading to say the least. Makeandtoss (talk) 15:31, 28 June 2024 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 29 June 2024
Remove the sentence about 70,000 tons dropped; it is not reliably sourced. See discussion above in talk page. Telecart (talk) 12:46, 29 June 2024 (UTC)

Article title
Does anyone besides me think that the title "Bombing of the Gaza Strip" implies that this is the first or only time Gaza Strip was bombed? Should it be something more specific, like "Bombing of the Gaza Strip (2023-present)"? Or should the scope of the article (under the current title) be expanded to include all bombings of the Gaza Strip? In which case the lead should say that the current bombing is the worst but not the first. Or is it fine the way it is? Levivich (talk) 04:02, 7 July 2024 (UTC)


 * I think this entire article is redundant- the bombing is part of the current war, for which there is already more than one article - Israel–Hamas war, Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip (2023–present) Kentucky Rain24 (talk) 11:11, 7 July 2024 (UTC)
 * Agreed, a time context should be added. Completely disagree on the claim that this article is redundant since it has received significant coverage in RS and fulfills the WP:Notability guideline. Makeandtoss (talk) 16:17, 7 July 2024 (UTC)
 * It received coverage as part of the coverage of the war. Kentucky Rain24 (talk) 16:38, 7 July 2024 (UTC)
 * @Kentucky Rain24: I understand you think this article shouldn't exist, but do you oppose a move to Bombing of the Gaza Strip (2023-present)? Levivich (talk) 02:23, 9 July 2024 (UTC)
 * no, though I think "-present" is problematic, as eventually, the bombing will stop. Kentucky Rain24 (talk) 05:59, 9 July 2024 (UTC)
 * Moved to Bombing of the Gaza Strip (2023–present). Levivich (talk) 16:31, 9 July 2024 (UTC)

Israeli disinformation
Ynet is not an independent source, it is making an exceptional claim, and explicitly says that the 16% figure was only shown to Ynet. Why did you remove the better source tag? Clearly there are numerous problems with this piece of disinformation refuted by independent RS. Makeandtoss (talk) 16:24, 7 July 2024 (UTC)


 * Ynet is a mainstream newspaper, and is independent. It is not making any exceptional claim just reprotign what the IDF says. The 16% figure was quoted by Ynet, Times of Israel, JNS and many others. Kentucky Rain24 (talk) 16:30, 7 July 2024 (UTC)
 * All the sources you mentioned are not independent. WP defines independence as "An independent source is a source that has no vested interest in a given Wikipedia topic and therefore is commonly expected to cover the topic from a disinterested perspective." WP:IIS
 * They are indeed exceptional claims that have been refuted by independent RS which cite at least 50% of housing has been damaged. Makeandtoss (talk) 16:39, 7 July 2024 (UTC)
 * You can take this nonsense to WP:RSN and see how much support you get for the notion that a mainstream newspaper, with a known editorial board and a reputation for fact checking is not independent just because it is based in a country that is involved in a conflict, or because its editors are Jewish. Good luck. Kentucky Rain24 (talk) 16:46, 7 July 2024 (UTC)
 * Nobody said anything about editorial independence. WP defines independence as having no vested interest, which is clearly not the case here. I am not taking anything anywhere, the onus of achieving consensus lies on the inserter, and that is yourself. As for the "nonsense" and the veiled implicit accusation of antisemitism, this is battleground behavior and assumption of bad faith, both of which are not lightly taken in this topic area, so I request you to retract these comments now before taking this further. Makeandtoss (talk) 14:19, 8 July 2024 (UTC)
 * Vested interest is defined at WP:IIS as "when the source (the author, the publisher, etc.) develops any financial or legal relationship to the topic." None of the sources I listed (Ynet, ToI, JNS) has any such  financial or legal relationship to the war in Gaza. Enough of this nonsense, please. Take this to WP:RS where others will set you straight. Kentucky Rain24 (talk) 15:48, 8 July 2024 (UTC)
 * Gladly, SPI set you straight. Makeandtoss (talk) 14:14, 9 July 2024 (UTC)
 * The claim is attributed to Israel, so I don't really understand the reasoning for this unusually heavy scrutiny of the source. But in any case, Ynet News is clearly reliable. It's a child entity of Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel's largest newspaper. A quick search of RSN shows many mentions of Ynet, and very few concerns about its reliability.
 * It seems like your argument is that there's some bias which violates independence. I don't think's how WP:IIS is meant to be interpreted - it says A source can be biased without compromising its independence. Besides, Ynet is probably one of the least biased sources in this article, which relies heavily on Al Jazeera. — xDanielx  T/C\R 16:47, 7 July 2024 (UTC)
 * Yedioth Ahronoth is notorious for being a Netanyahu mouthpiece though: "In January 2017, secret recordings were released of conversations between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mozes discussing a potential deal in which the newspaper would provide better coverage of Netanyahu in exchange for the government limiting the circulation of competitor Israel Hayom." from its own article. That just proves my point about the lack of independence.. Makeandtoss (talk) 14:15, 9 July 2024 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 8 July 2024
Fix spelling of "unkown number of militants" by correcting it to "unknown" 2601:645:D00:E1B0:C043:32E1:65EF:8D21 (talk) 16:44, 8 July 2024 (UTC)

✅ Kentucky Rain24 (talk) 17:02, 8 July 2024 (UTC)