Gaza: facts and fantasy

According to the BBC, Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas on earth. Which is why, of course, the idea that Israel is bombing the place is regarded as hugely irresponsible and indifferent to the possibilities of civilian casualties.

So first of all, let it be noted that Gaza is not the most densely populated area on earth, or anything like it. The Gaza Strip covers some 360 square kilometres, into which are packed about 1.4 million residents. This amounts to a density of about 4,000 people per square kilometre. In other words, this is about the same density as London or Berlin, which are not particularly densely populated as big cities go. The population density of Hong Kong and Singapore is more than 50% greater than that of Gaza. Many major cities, including Paris and Tel Aviv, have still greater population densities.

That said, the population of Gaza is not uniformly distributed across the territory. Much of it is crammed into a small number of urban areas, in which the population density will be very much higher. The corollary of this is that in between these cities the population density is much lower.

So why, then, rather than target the densely populated residential areas, doesn’t Israel bomb the bits in between? Because that’s not where Hamas are, and that’s not where the rockets are coming from. Hamas is sheltering behind civilian women and children in the cities, firing rockets from residential areas, safe in the knowledge that they are much more difficult to hit - and that the inevitable civilian casualties hand a massive propaganda weapon to Hamas.

This is worth bearing in mind the next time anyone seeks to praise Hamas for its efforts in protecting the welfare of its citizens. The reason there are massive civilian casualties in Gaza at the moment is because that’s the way Hamas wants it.