Can we trust casualty figures from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry?

Israel and Joe Biden have questioned the accuracy of the rising death toll but others point to historical reliability of data

In this time of war, the health ministry in Gaza has been given its own health warning. Joe Biden has questioned the reliability of its figures for the number of people killed and wounded during the Israeli assault on Gaza – because the health ministry is run by Hamas.

“I have no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed,” the US president said. “I’m sure innocents have been killed, and it’s the price of waging a war. But I have no confidence in the number that the Palestinians are using.”