If there’s nothing happening, then the obvious way for the authorities to prove that is to let observers in, and let independent information out. They do not do this, so I will take these reports of deaths more seriously.
E.g. like reading the sentence:
>TIME has been unable to independently verify these figures.
And going "hmmm".
> Hamas mercenaries
Literally LOL'd at that! What an utter load of nonsense.