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The majority of members of the US Congress, including more than 60
Democrats, have voted in favour of an amendment that would bar the
State Department from using the Gaza health ministry's count for the
death toll in Gaza.

The vote pushes forward a piece of legislation that, if it passes,
could further silence the discussion within the US government about
the devastating impact that Israel's war on Gaza has had on the
enclave's Palestinian population.

The amendment, a part of the State Department's annual appropriations
bill, passed on Thursday with a 269-144 vote. Sixty-two Democrats
joined the vote, while only two Republicans did not vote in favour of
it.

On the day of the vote, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib spoke on the floor
of Congress, saying that the amendment was essentially "genocide
denial". The International Court of Justice ruled earlier this year
there was a plausible case of Israel committing genocide in Gaza,
after South Africa submitted a case on the issue.

"It's disgusting that my colleagues would support legislation to
prohibit US officials from even citing the Palestinian death toll,"
Tlaib, the lone Palestinian lawmaker in US Congress, said on the House
floor.

"They want to erase the Palestinians who are living, and now they are
trying to erase the Palestinians who are dead. This is genocide
denial."

Since Israel's war on Gaza began in October, many international NGOs
as well as the United Nations have relied on the Gaza health ministry
to know how many Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces.

It has been the sole source of regularly updated information on the
death toll, as Israeli forces have decimated the enclave's health
infrastructure and repeatedly laid siege to several hospitals.

So far, the death toll stands at nearly 38,000 Palestinians, the
majority of whom are women and children.

However, with thousands of Palestinians likely under the rubble and
the ministry facing a lack of resources, health experts believe the
death toll is likely to be far higher.

While the legislation would force the State Department not to use the
death toll, the Biden administration had already cast doubt on it
early on in the war.

"[There is] no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth
about how many people were killed," Biden said in a press conference
in late October.

Those comments sparked outrage not just among Palestinians but also
among rights groups and NGOs working on the ground in Gaza.

That same week of Biden's denial of the death toll, reports surfaced
that officials within the Biden administration had cited the Gaza
health ministry's death count in 20 different situation reports, with
one official saying at the time that the toll was likely an
undercount, not an overestimate.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/genocide-denial-us-congress-passes-amendment-denying-gazas-death-toll