Compared to Israel and most of the world, it is heavily urbanized. But why would Hamas set up their launchers anywhere but populated areas? It’s not just to maximize casualties, that can then be blamed on Israel, but to make the job of spotting those launchers harder.

A launcher set up in an open area against an opponent with modern sensors might as well paint a hundred yard bullseye around itself. Which considering what a huge amount of resources, from Hamas’s point of view, makes the investment wasteful.

Hamas may be evil but they’re not stupid.