Claims that Israel has carried out a genocide in Gaza since October 7 have entered mainstream media discourse, but they collapse under basic factual scrutiny. The most recent example came on December 29, 2025, when CNN NewsNight contributor Emma Vigeland asserted that “hundreds of thousands” of Gazans have been killed, citing an unnamed “doctor” and accusing Israel of deliberately targeting civilians.
There is no evidence to support her claim. Not from international bodies. Not from independent analysts. Not even from Hamas itself.
No Evidence of Mass Deaths or Genocide in Gaza
The assertion that hundreds of thousands of Gazans have died is flatly contradicted by all available data. Total casualties in Gaza are measured in the tens of thousands, not the hundreds of thousands. The majority of those killed are Hamas terrorists, not civilians, and there is no evidence of genocide.
Even Hamas, which is notorious for inflating casualty figures, has not claimed mass death on the scale Vigeland described. In its December 2025 manifesto, Hamas reported 67,100 total deaths, including 20,000 children, with an additional 9,500 listed as missing or allegedly trapped under rubble.
If hundreds of thousands had been killed, Hamas would be the first to say so. It has not.
Hamas’s Own Numbers Undermine the Genocide Narrative
Hamas’s casualty figures, even taken at face value, undermine the genocide accusation. Hamas acknowledges that more than 25,000 of the dead were terrorists. It remains unclear how many of the 9,500 listed as missing are combatants versus civilians.
Hamas also classifies teenage fighters aged 15 to 18 as “children,” despite routinely recruiting minors for combat roles. This practice inflates civilian casualty counts and distorts public perception of the war.
Hamas’s Ministry of Health further undermines its own credibility by labeling all deaths as civilian, misclassifying adult men as women or children, including deaths caused by Hamas itself, and repeatedly altering casualty databases throughout the conflict.
Independent Analysis Shows Lower Civilian Casualties Than Claimed
Independent analysis based on pre-war mortality patterns estimates that roughly 11,000 Gazan deaths during the conflict were from natural causes. Approximately 4,000 resulted from internal Gazan violence, including executions of alleged collaborators, and about 1,000 stem from reporting errors or misclassification.
That leaves approximately 50,000 conflict-related deaths.
Even accepting Hamas’s inflated numbers, the civilian-to-combatant ratio remains exceptionally low. With roughly 67,000 claimed deaths and more than 22,000 terrorists killed, the ratio is approximately 2:1. The United Nations estimates that the global average for urban warfare is closer to 9:1.
No genocide produces a ratio like that.
Israel’s Military Practices Contradict Genocide Claims
Israel’s military conduct further contradicts accusations of genocide. The Israel Defense Forces routinely issue evacuation warnings before strikes, including phone calls, text messages, leaflet drops, and non-lethal “roof knocking” munitions.
Civilians found under rubble are often those who ignored evacuation warnings or were prevented from leaving by Hamas. These practices are inconsistent with an intent to exterminate a civilian population.
Vigeland’s Source Cited a Discredited Activist Group
To support her genocide claim, Vigeland cited accusations made by B’Tselem, a far-left Israeli activist group with a long record of hostility toward Israel. B’Tselem has advocated positions that would dismantle Israel as a Jewish state, is heavily funded by foreign governments and entities including George Soros’ Open Society Foundations, and has repeatedly relied on Hamas propaganda to advance its claims.
B’Tselem’s allegations are political advocacy, not evidence.
Gaza’s Public Support for Hamas Undercuts the Genocide Narrative
Polling consistently shows that a majority of Gazans supported the October 7 massacre of Israeli civilians and continue to back Hamas’s war against Israel. Hamas itself claims that Gaza achieved “victory” and forced Israel to halt the war.
Populations facing genocide do not rally behind the armed groups allegedly exterminating them, nor do those groups boast of victory while claiming mass annihilation.
Critics Call Out the One-Sided Narrative
Emma Vigeland’s comments drew sharp responses, including from political strategist Scott Jennings, who noted that her argument omitted any reference to Hamas’s atrocities, Israel’s right to self-defense, or Hamas’s ongoing violence against Gazans themselves.
Others questioned the internal logic of the genocide claim. As commentator Charlie Kirk observed, if Israel’s goal were mass extermination, it would not be warning civilians before strikes or allowing humanitarian corridors to operate.
The Reality Behind the Rhetoric
Claims of Israeli genocide in Gaza have been repeatedly debunked. Even Hamas’s own inflated figures show far fewer civilian deaths than alleged, a low civilian-to-combatant ratio, and continued Gazan support for attacks on Israel. These facts directly contradict the narrative of a population being systematically exterminated.
Emma Vigeland’s assertion that hundreds of thousands of Gazans have been killed surpasses even Hamas’s propaganda. It is not journalism. It is fiction, presented as fact, and it bears no relation to reality.
