From [HERE] On June 26, the United States House of Representatives passed an amendment barring the State Department from citing the Gaza Health Ministry’s death toll statistics for the Israel-Hamas war. Once signed into law, it will effectively halt discussions of the war's deaths.

The House voted 269-144 for a revision to the Department of State appropriations bill proposed by a bipartisan group led by Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL). A group of 62 Democrats joined all but two Republicans in voting for the measure. The provision "prohibits funds appropriated by this act to be made available for the State Department to cite statistics obtained from the Gaza Health Ministry."

The health ministry has been cited by the department and news agencies for decades amid conflict in Gaza. Its daily death toll during the current conflict that began in October has served as a primary source for understanding the war's impact on Palestinians in the territory. It is the only official entity tracking death data in Gaza.

Palestinian-American congresswoman Rashida Tlaib slammed the vote in Congress, which critics allege is an attempt to hide the scale of the devastation wreaked on Gaza by Israel. "Since 1948, Mr. Speaker, there has been a coordinated effort, especially in this chamber, to dehumanize Palestinians and erase Palestinians from existence," Tlaib said in a speech addressing the House before the vote. "My colleagues want to prohibit our own U.S. officials from even citing the Palestinian death toll."

The Michigan representative reminded her colleagues of the tens of thousands killed by Israel in Gaza, highlighting the number of children among those dead. "Six children are killed in Gaza every single hour. But Palestinians are not just numbers. Behind these numbers are real people, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters who have had their lives stolen from them and their families torn apart and we should not be trying to hide it," she added and then slammed the anti-Palestinian racism in their chamber. [MORE]