Antiwar News With Dave DeCamp The Gaza Death Toll: Interview With Matthew Cockerill
10 snips
Aug 16, 2025 Matthew Cockerill, a historian and PhD student, delves into the grim statistics of civilian casualties in Gaza, revealing alarming trends that mark October 2023 as a peak month for deaths. He critiques flawed narratives justifying such tragic losses and highlights the disproportionate impact on women and children. Cockerill also compares the current crisis to historical events, emphasizing the urgent need for transparency in data reporting. The conversation sheds light on the challenges of urban warfare and the moral implications of military actions against civilians.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
October 2023: Unusually Lethal Bombing Month
- October 2023 was likely the deadliest single month of bombing since the Korean War based on munitions and fatality comparisons.
- Air Wars found most women and children died in residential areas from direct strikes, not active firefights.
The 9:1 Urban-War Myth
- The common claim that urban wars average a 9:1 civilian-to-combatant death ratio is false and historically unsupported.
- Empirical datasets suggest ratios closer to 1:1 or 2.5:1 in urban conflicts, so Israel's one-to claims are misleading.
'Where's Daddy' And Systematic Home Strikes
- Israel's 'Where's Daddy' policy involved striking homes to kill alleged militants and resulted in systematic family deaths.
- This pattern undermines the human-shields defense because many victims were off-duty or purely civilian.