Data Scavenger Hunt

Find answers to the following questions using the visuals above:

1. The Gaza Strip has been at the center of world news since the surprise October 7th attack on Israel by Hamas, the militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, killing approximately 1400 people. Subsequent Israeli retaliation on the Gaza Strip has killed around 3000 people. How many people currently live in the Gaza Strip?

2. The Gaza Strip is home to more than 1.7 million Palestinian refugees, according to UNRWA, the U.N. Palestinian relief agency. You can read more about the history of the creation of the state of Israel. A refugee is a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster. How many refugee camps are in the Gaza Strip?

3. Approximately 11.5% of Americans live in poverty. What is the poverty rate in the Gaza Strip, and why do you think it’s so high?

4. Israel has enforced a land, air, and sea blockade since 2007, when Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip. The land border of the Gaza Strip is heavily fortified consisting of double-wired fencing and concrete barriers. There are two border crossings—one into Egypt in the south and one into Israel in the north—that a limited number of civilians can cross. Over the years, border crossings on the east side of the territory have been closed down. The region’s airspace is controlled by Israel. Even its electro-magnetic space is restricted, meaning many Palestinians rely on 2G and 3G. What countries share borders with the Gaza Strip?

5. The Gaza Strip, population 2.2 million, is roughly the same size in area as Las Vegas, which has a population of 653,843. Of the American cities listed below* which has a population density closest to Gaza City, and what does that tell you about the general population density of Gaza?

   Big Brain Questions

   Answer these questions by yourself using your brain and the links below:

6. Gaza City is within an evacuation zone that Israel ordered on Friday ahead of an expected ground invasion. About a million people in the Gaza Strip — half of its residents — are believed to have been displaced, according to a United Nations update published Monday. If you were ordered to evacuate from your home within 24 hours, what do you think would be your biggest challenge?

7. Gaza has a high fertility rate (3.9), and as a result, according to the charity Save the Children, children make up almost half of Gaza's population. Much of this rapidly growing population lives in crowded cities and camps that are some of the most densely populated areas in the world. The U.S. fertility rate is approximately 1.6, and children make up about 22% of the U.S. population. How does a young and growing population of highly unemployed impact conflict?

8. Food, water, fuel and medical supplies were running dangerously low in Gaza as of Tuesday, the seventh day of an electricity blackout. All three border crossings into the Gaza Strip remained closed. If you were the Prime Minister of Israel, after suffering the brutal October 7 attack would you have ordered a blockade of Gaza and evacuation of its population away from the northern Gaza-Israel border?

9. Between January and June of this year there was a 57% deficit of electricity in Gaza. In other words, there was more demand than supply of electricity. Imagine then describe how your life would be different if you could not access power 57% of the time.

10. Consider the current Israeli-Palestinian crisis. In less than two weeks Hamas has killed thousands of Israelis and taken around 200 people hostage; while Israel has killed thousands of Palestinians. The conflict does not seem to be near an end. President Biden just traveled to Israel where he pledged unwavering support for Israel, including an unprecedented level of military aid. At the same time, Biden has pledged to do what he can to minimize Palestinian casualties in the looming Israeli invasion of Gaza. What do you believe the U.S. should do about this conflict?

Write and Discuss

Take ten minutes to write about the question at the top of the page and then discuss with your classmates.

Act on your Learning

Contact the White House and let President Joe Biden know what you think he should do about the Palestinian-Israeli crisis.

Or call the White House at phone number:

• 1-202-456-1414 (Switchboard)

• 1-202-456-1111 (Comments)

Get Creative

Breaking news: 2030 - Israeli-Palestinian peace breaks out, Write a timeline of ten hypothetical events explaining how we got from today’s crisis to tomorrow’s peace.

Learn More

You can learn more about the roots of today’s conflict by studying the history of the creation of the state of Israel.