The study specifically says that the reported death toll of 37k is credible, and has been accepted as such by international bodies. That is the number of people who have died in Gaza, according to our best knowledge. We have no reason to believe that the number is significantly different, or as the study puts it, “claims of data fabrication [are] implausible.”
Last I checked, 37 is between 35 and 40.
The study projects that the indirect death toll could eventually total much more, which would be just as tragic. This is why it is so important to release the hostages, end the conflict, and begin rebuilding the infrastructure of Gaza as soon as possible.
I only mentioned the upper bound of “half” of the deaths being combatants because there does not seem to be much agreement about how many of those killed were combatants vs civilians. In other words, at least half of those killed are civilians, likely far more. I’m not sure I can be more clear, but let me know if I can explain any of these facts further.