The documentation relies, until this point, on reliable secondary sources, primarily reports and statements by the Ministry of Health in Gaza, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, regular reports of hospitals and other health facilities, and reports and statements by the Government Media Office in Gaza, all of which collect primary data. This is in addition to other secondary sources, including relevant local and global organizations and reliable media and electronic sources, among others.
With regards to documenting attacks on health workers in particular, including those who were killed, abducted, and disappeared, we relied primarily on lists provided in reports and statements by the Ministry of Health in Gaza. These lists were corroborated and expanded upon based on the meticulous work of "Healthcare Workers Watch", a group of Palestinian volunteer doctors (including Gazans who worked in Gaza's hospitals), from whom we cite the names of some workers who did not appear in other lists, personal photographs of many of the health workers, as well as some details of their targeting and professional history. We gathered further details about health workers' professional achievements and circumstances surrounding their targeting from their colleagues and relatives and the websites and social media accounts of relevant organizations, including the Palestine Red Crescent Society, Doctors without Borders, and the Shireen Observatory.
Notwithstanding this work, there are inevitable gaps in details and events, owing to the nature and continuation of this frenzied war, which has destroyed many information and communication systems. For example, there were several retrospective updates in the Ministry of Health list of martyred health workers, and many details surrounding sieges and raids in hospitals are unveiled weeks after the event. Therefore, and as soon as circumstances allow, we will conduct field research in the Gaza Strip to close any remaining gaps. All data are thus considered a work-in-progress until there is the ability to conduct field research.