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Gaza Strip

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The Gaza Strip is a small territory in the Southern Levant region of West Asia.

Gaza Strip 2023
Gaza Strip 2023

It is one of two Palestinian territories that make up the State of Palestine. The other territory is the West Bank. Gaza is bordered by Egypt to the southwest. Israel borders the territory to the north and the east. To the west, the Gaza Strip meets the Mediterranean Sea.

Gaza Beach
Gaza Beach

The largest city and the capital of the Strip is Gaza City.

Gaza City
Gaza City

The history of Gaza involves many different governing powers. For centuries, the Ottoman Empire controlled the region. In 1906, the Ottomans and the British Empire set the international border with Egypt. After World War I, the British ruled the area as part of Mandatory Palestine. During this time, coastal villages grew and farming increased.

Gaza Strip in Palestine
Gaza Strip in Palestine

Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Egypt controlled the territory. The 1949 Armistice Agreements established the Green Line to separate forces. This line became the modern boundary between Gaza and Israel.

Palestine refugees leave the Gaza Strip on fishing boats in the wake of the war in 1948
Palestine refugees leave the Gaza Strip on fishing boats in the wake of the war in 1948

Control of the region changed again during the Six-Day War. Israel captured and occupied the Gaza Strip during this conflict. This began a decades-long military occupation. In the mid-1990s, the Oslo Accords created the Palestinian Authority (PA). The PA was a limited governing body. Initially, the secular Fatah party led this authority. However, political shifts changed how Gaza was managed. In 2006, Hamas won elections, defeating Fatah. By 2007, Hamas took full control of Gaza governance after the Battle of Gaza.

Governance and movement in Gaza are heavily restricted. Israel has imposed restrictions on goods and movement since the early 1990s. In 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew its military and dismantled its settlements. Despite this, Israel maintained a blockade. After Hamas took control in 2007, the blockade became indefinite. Egypt also began a blockade of Gaza in 2007.

Some scholars and international law experts have described the situation as an "open-air prison." In 2006, an international political and economic boycott was also imposed on the new government.

The Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated places on Earth. As of 2010, the population was just over 2 million people. Most residents are Palestinian refugees or their descendants. The population density is similar to cities like London or Tel Aviv.

The population is very young. About 43.5% of people are children aged 14 or younger. Half of the total population is under age 18. While the unemployment rate is very high, education is a strength. The literacy rate is 97%, which is higher than in nearby Egypt. The overall unemployment rate is 46%, while youth unemployment reaches 70%.

Recent years have seen intense conflict and humanitarian crises. A war that began in 2023 resulted in massive loss of life and displacement. Many experts have described these events as a genocide against the Palestinian people. This conflict caused a humanitarian crisis and an ongoing famine.

A provisional ceasefire occurred in mid-January 2025 and lasted for two months. In August 2025, Israel began an offensive on Gaza City.

Damaged housing gaza strip april 2009
Damaged housing gaza strip april 2009

By October 2025, a United States-led peace plan was agreed upon by Israel and Hamas.

New systems for governing Gaza are currently being developed. On November 17, 2025, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2803. This resolution includes rules for transitional governance in the Strip. This process aims to manage the territory during its transition.

The area remains a central part of the broader Palestinian national identity and the regional political system.

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🖼️ Images & Media (44)
File:Gaza Strip in Palestine.svg
Gaza Strip in Palestine.svg
File:Gaza_Strip_2023.png
Gaza_Strip_2023.png
File:Palestine refugees initially displaced to Beach camp in Gaza board boats to Lebanon or Egypt during the 1948 war..jpg
Palestine refugees initially displaced to...
File:Palestine refugees leave the Gaza Strip on fishing boats in the wake of the war in 1948.jpg
Palestine refugees leave the Gaza Strip...
File:Gaza Strip (997008872766305171.jpg
Gaza Strip (997008872766305171.jpg
File:Che Guevara in Gaza.jpg
Che Guevara in Gaza.jpg
File:Gaza Strip (997009324715105171.jpg
Gaza Strip (997009324715105171.jpg
File:Dan Hadani collection (990044372600205171).jpg
Dan Hadani collection (990044372600205171).jpg
File:Intifada in Gaza Strip, 1987 VI Dan Hadani Archive.jpg
Intifada in Gaza Strip, 1987 VI Dan...
File:IDF-D9-demolishes-Palestinian-structure-01.jpg
IDF-D9-demolishes-Palestinian-structure-01.jpg
File:Gush Katif-N-Dekalim02.jpg
Gush Katif-N-Dekalim02.jpg
File:Gaza City.JPG
Gaza City.JPG

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