Isabel Portillo
Screening Coordinator at Osakidetza -Basque Health Service, researcher in the Cancer Biomarkers group at the Biobizkaia Health Research Institute, and secretary of the Board of Directors of the Spanish Epidemiology Society
Is the study of good quality?
‘It is of high quality, conducted with great scientific rigour and methodology. It is difficult to conduct any other type of study in a war situation. Furthermore, this is not a conventional war, as both the injuries and their characteristics mainly affect civilians, which is very different from what is found in other (mainly military) conflicts.’
The press release highlights that this is the first study to provide such detailed data. What is its value?
‘This study is in line with those being published by the United Nations, OCHA, UNICEF, UNRWA, WHO and recognised NGOs such as OXFAM, MSF and Amnesty International.’
What are its limitations?
‘The working conditions in both hospitals and aid organisations do not allow for conventional quantitative studies, which is why a Delphi study has been used, in accordance with the Helsinki criteria and rigorous methodology. There are no conflicts of interest and no Palestinian health workers have participated in order to avoid possible bias.’
What implications might the data offer?
"A very relevant insight into the characteristics of the conflict that are important for understanding its (still limited) scope and consequences. It is important to note that it refers primarily to injuries to survivors. The consequences of infections, malnutrition, and people with chronic and vulnerable illnesses have yet to be detailed. It is already estimated that there could be more than 680,000 deaths, as announced by the UN rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese."