In a recent interview with MSNBC, Jonathan Conricus, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, cast doubt on the credibility of the civilian casualty figures released by Hamas.
The interview, which focused on the ongoing conflict in Gaza, saw MSNBC host Yasmin Vossoughian questioning Conricus about the alleged high number of civilian casualties, which she claimed were "above 4,600, many of them women and children."
Conricus, however, was quick to challenge the veracity of these figures. "When it comes to data coming out of Gaza, please keep in mind that everything that comes out of Gaza is not verified independently," he stated. "It's information disseminated by Hamas, and Hamas are the equivalent of ISIS when it comes to truthfulness."
Vossoughian pressed Conricus to clarify if he was disputing Hamas' claims, to which he responded, "I am definitely questioning each and every piece of information that comes out of the Hamas-controlled so-called 'Ministry of Health' each and every piece of information."
In response to Vossoughian's assertion that "independent journalists" had corroborated the casualty numbers, Conricus pointed out that her network, along with other mainstream media outlets, had been complicit in disseminating Hamas propaganda. He cited the example of the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza, which was reported to have been destroyed by Israel, with 500 casualties according to Hamas.
"Do you know how many people were actually killed? The [European Union] estimates that it was between 10 and 50. The 500 is what the Hamas-controlled authority said, and most of the international media fell for that and reported it. It gave credibility to a false number disseminated by a terrorist organization," Conricus explained.
He further urged caution and skepticism when dealing with such figures, especially those concerning civilians, women, and children. "Those are the things that they will try to harvest. That is what they are trying to achieve," he said.
Vossoughian, however, did not engage with Conricus' point about media organizations acting irresponsibly. Instead, she attempted to draw a parallel between Israel and Hamas, stating, "We can both admit the innocent civilians are losing their lives."
Conricus, however, refuted this comparison. "I don't want to create any parity," he said. "The only thing I can say is that we definitely do not target civilians. We try to strike militants, contrary to these subhuman terrorists, these ISIS monsters who came across our borders. They specifically targeted our women and children and elderly and men and soldiers, but specifically the civilians."
He further emphasized that out of more than 1,300 dead Israelis, over a thousand were civilians a result of deliberate targeting. "So, we are not targeting the civilians," he concluded.
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