The world in numbers: Israel and Gaza

My favourite page in the magazine Fire One is the page „The World in Figures“ – a collection that is sometimes rather curious. Figures themselves do not lie. But the figures that are chosen and the way they are presented say something and convey one A snapshot of reality. I can’t do it quite as well as Brand Eins – but I’ve nevertheless had a go at putting together an objectively subjective compilation.

Miscellaneous

Town twinning between Gaza and Israel: 1 (Tel Aviv to Gaza, since 1998).

Dragons, the number of children who were in the air at the same time on the beach in Gaza in July 2011 – thereby breaking the Guinness World Record held by the Chinese: 13,000

Plants, that are called Gaza: 1

(Gazania – which, incidentally, is named after Theodorus Gaza, a translator of botanical works.)

Famous people from the Bible, in or from Gaza: 2 (Samson and Delilah)

Catholic saints, from Gaza: 1 (Hilarion of Gaza, who only washed at Easter! Resurrection through and through!)

History

Number of years for which people of the Jewish faith have been referred to as „Jews“: 3,300

The number of years for which a particular group of people has been referred to as Palestinians: 50

Number of nations in the UN General Assembly that voted in favour of the establishment of a Jewish state in 1947: 33 out of 56 (10 abstentions).

Number of member states of the Arab League: 21

Number of Arab nations that recognise Israel’s right to exist: 2

Area

Area of Gaza: 360 km²

Area of Berlin: 892 km²

Population

Population of Gaza: 1.8 million, of whom approximately 50% are under the age of 15.

Population of Berlin: 3.4 million.

Income

In the Gaza Strip  under People living below the poverty line: 38%

In Berlin on People living below the poverty line: 14 – 20%

Millionaires living in the Gaza Strip: 600 (according to other sources: 1,200)

Millionaires living in Berlin: 558

Estimated net worth of Hamas leader in exile Khaled Mashal in billions of US dollars: 2.6
Number of luxury apartments that Khaled Mashal is having built on his 2.5-hectare site in Qatar: 250.

Number of tunnels built for terrorist purposes: 30

Construction costs for a 3-kilometre tunnel: 600,000 euros.

Number of hospitals that could be built using the materials needed to construct a tunnel: 19

Source: Tagesanzeiger, JP Business and Egyptian television presenter and Sheikh Talaat Zahran, The World, ZDF.

Refugees

Refugees living in camps administered by UNRWA in Gaza: 492,000

Refugees living in Berlin who receive benefits under the Asylum Act: 14,000

Rockets

Number of rockets Hamas had at the start of the offensive: 10,000

Number of rockets fired at Israel between 8 July and 20 July 2014: 1,700

Number of rockets fired from Gaza between 8 July and 16 July that landed within the Gaza Strip: 100

(Source: IDF).

Protection of the civilian population

Number of measures taken by Hamas to avoid attacks on civilians: 0

Number of measures taken by the Israeli army to avoid civilian casualties: 5

(Telephone calls, leaflets, halting attacks when civilians are at risk, firing „dummy“ missiles as a warning, precision strikes. Source: IDF, quoted in *Der Spiegel*, *Die Zeit*…).

Injured people

During fighting in Schedira on 20 July 2014: 400 people injured. Of these, 14 women = 3.5 %, 17 children = 4.25 % (remainder, not specified, presumably men = 92.25)

Source: TIME: , version dated 20 July 2014. The section containing the figures was subsequently deleted; an enquiry to the editorial team went unanswered.

fatalities

Israelis killed up to 20 July 2014: 18 (civilians: 2, soldiers: 16)

Palestinians killed in Gaza up to 20 July 2014 (latest official report): 430 (other sources: 402). Of these, 252 were young men = 58.6% – of whom at least 130 were combatants, 112 children 26%, 41 women 9.5%, 25 older men = 5.8 %

Proportion of the population in Gaza under the age of 15: approx. 50%

Proportion of children and school pupils killed between 8 and 19 July 2014, according to figures from Iran: 50%

Number of children and young people aged 18 and under killed between 8 and 23 July 2014, according to figures from Egypt: 17.1 %

Number of women killed: 22, 3

Number of men killed: 77.7

Number of fatalities listed more than once on the official death lists: 33

(Sources: Palestinian figures, Al Jazeera, IC, ABNA, TIME,  and World )

Children killed

Children in the Gaza Strip who lost their lives between 8 and 20 July: 112

Children who lost their lives while building tunnels in the Gaza Strip up to July 2014: 160

(Sources: Hamas, quoted in TIME , Official figures, cited in n-tv.de)