THE number of Palestinians killed by the Israeli action in Gaza since October 2023 has been undercounted by around 41 per cent, a new study has found.

The estimates were published in medical journal the Lancet on Thursday as the US House of Representatives voted to sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC) over its decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant. 

The Lancet’s estimates put the true number of deaths caused by Israeli attacks at around 64,260, far higher than the official toll of at least 42,000.

Its figures showed that 59.1 per cent of those killed were women, children and people over the age of 65. 

The study’s figures represent 2.9 per cent of Gaza’s pre-war population “or approximately one in 35 inhabitants,” the study said.

Meanwhile, the US House of Representatives voted in favour of legislation to sanction the ICC for issuing arrest warrants against Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant.

Legislators passed the so-called Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act by 243 to 140.

Some 45 Democrats joined 198 Republicans in backing the Bill. No Republicans voted against it.

The legislation now heads to the Senate, where a Republican majority was sworn in earlier this month.

The Bill proposes sanctions for any foreigner who helps the ICC in its attempts to investigate, detain or prosecute a US citizen or citizen of an allied country that does not recognise the authority of the court.

Neither the US nor Israel are parties to the Rome Statute, which established the ICC.

The sanctions would include the freezing of property assets, as well as the denial of visas to any foreigners who materially or financially contribute to the court’s efforts.

House of Representatives foreign affairs committee chairman Brian Mast said the law was being passed “because a kangaroo court is seeking to arrest the prime minister of our great ally, Israel.” 

But journalist Ben Norton described the US as “a criminal rogue regime,” while Greek left-wing politician Yanis Varoufakis said: “International law is officially dead, by the West’s own hand.”

Medea Benjamin, co-founder of female-led peace group Codepink, described the Bill as “a direct attack on international law and justice, isolating the US on the world stage. 

“We must fight back against these shameful efforts to protect war criminals!” she insisted.

Amnesty International warned that if the Senate followed the lower house’s example by endorsing the legislation, it would do “grave harm to the interests of all victims globally.”