It’s been described as an unspeakably brutal “massacre,” even a “genocide” perpetrated by Israel’s powerful military machine against innocent civilians trapped in the Gaza Strip. In reality, data show, Israel’s campaign to defeat Hamas in the densely populated Palestinian enclave is one of the most careful and surgical operations in recent human history and has resulted in a lower ratio of civilian-to-combatant deaths than other high-profile urban battles this century — including some directly involving the U.S.
