Fact check: A study published via the Harvard Dataverse reveals that Israel has “disappeared” at least 377,000 Palestinians since the start of its genocidal campaign against the Gaza Strip in 2023.

1. Summary of the results

The analyses reveal that the central claim in the original statement is false. Multiple sources confirm that the study was not conducted by Harvard University and that the figure of 377,000 "disappeared" Palestinians is based on erroneous calculations ^{[1] [2] [3]}. The actual study was published by Yaakov Garb on the Harvard Dataverse and focused on humanitarian aid distribution, not missing people ^[1].

While several sources document serious allegations against Israel, including reports from Human Rights Watch stating that thousands have died due to Israeli authorities' actions that may constitute genocide ^[4], and Amnesty International concluding that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza ^[5], none of these sources support the specific claim of 377,000 "disappeared" Palestinians ^{[4] [6] [7] [5] [8]}.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original statement omits crucial context about the misinterpretation of the data. The analyses show that while there are legitimate concerns about Palestinian casualties - with sources reporting over 56,000 killed and 131,848 injured since October 7, 2023 ^[6] - the specific figure of 377,000 "disappeared" people stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of the research ^{[1] [2]}.

The statement also fails to mention that multiple international organizations have documented war crimes and crimes against humanity in the conflict ^{[7] [8]}, but these documented violations don't support the specific numerical claim being made. Human Rights Watch has found evidence of intentional deprivation of safe water access leading to deaths ^[4], while the UN Human Rights Council has heard testimony about attacks on educational, religious, and cultural sites ^[7].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement contains significant misinformation by falsely attributing the study to Harvard University when it was actually an independent researcher using Harvard's data repository platform ^{[1] [2] [3]}. This misattribution gives the claim false academic credibility.

The statement also presents erroneous calculations as fact without acknowledging that the 377,000 figure has been debunked by fact-checkers ^{[1] [2] [3]}. By framing this as a "study published via the Harvard Dataverse," the statement creates a misleading impression of institutional endorsement.

The use of inflammatory language like "genocidal campaign" and "disappeared" - while genocide allegations are being investigated by international bodies - appears designed to amplify emotional impact rather than present verified information. Those who benefit from spreading unverified claims with inflated numbers include political actors seeking to maximize outrage and engagement, regardless of factual accuracy.