Gaza Strip

**Gaza** (also called the **Gaza Strip**) is a polity along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of two territories that make up the State of Palestine. (The other is the West Bank).

Gaza City is its main city. The Palestinian National Authority governed Gaza until 2006, and before 2007, Harakat At-Tahriri Al-Filistiniya administered the territory. The Islamic group Hamas won by a big majority in elections held in 2006. From 2006 to present, Hamas governs Gaza.

## Geography
### Size 
Gaza is a small area:

* It is 41 kilometers (25 miles) long
* It ranges from just 6 to 12 kilometers (3.7 to 7.5&nbsp;mi) wide
* Its total area is 365 square kilometers (141 sq mi)
* It has an 11-km (7-mi) border with Egypt, near the city of Rafah.

According to one article:*The whole of Gaza (aka the Gaza Strip) is about twice the size of Washington, D.C. and three times the population. [...] The Gaza Strip is geographically about the size of Philadelphia, Detroit or the country of Grenada. The Gaza Strip has the same land area as Las Vegas but more than three times the population. There are approximately 2.23 million residents of the small territory.*

### Features 
Three mountain ridges run alongside Gaza's coastline. These ridges are very important to Gaza's topography.

Gaza's major river is Wadi Gaza. The Wadi Gaza Nature Reserve was established to protect the country's only coastal wetland.

Gaza's major cities include:

* Khan Yunis is located  northeast of Rafah
* Several towns around Deir el-Balah are located along the coast between Rafah and Gaza City 
* Beit Lahia north of Gaza City
* Beit Hanoun northeast of Gaza City

Al Deira beach is popular for surfers.

### Climate 
Gaza has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen *BSh*). Summers are hot and dry. Winters are warm, and the country gets almost all of its rain during this season. Despite the dryness, humidity is high throughout the year.

Annual rainfall is higher than in any part of Egypt: between 225&nbsp;mm (9&nbsp;in) in the south and 400&nbsp;mm (16&nbsp;in) in the north. However, almost all of this rain falls between November and February.

The country has various environmental problems, including soil degradation and salination of fresh water.

## History
The costal enclave of Gaza has been inhabited for thousands of years. Throughout history, it was fought over by many peoples, including Egyptian Pharaohs, Babylonians, Philistines, and Alexander the Great.

However, the Ottoman Empire controlled the area from the 16th century through the end of World War I. At that point, the Ottoman Empire was broken up. After this, the British took control of the area known as Palestine, including the Gaza Strip. At that time, a number of ethnic groups lived there, including Arabs, Jews, and others.

The British had offered to let Egypt govern Gaza, but Egypt refused, so Britain itself occupied the territory from 1917–1918.  (Previously, in 1906, the Ottomans and the British Empire had set Gaza's international border with Egypt.)

The British also occupied Gaza from 1920 until 1948. During this time, tensions deepened between Arab and Jewish communities in Palestine. Then, in 1948, the League of Nations ordered a "Mandatory Palestine".

**1948–1959**

During the 1948 conflict (particularly the 1948 War), many Arabs and Jews fled their homes throughout the region. Almost a million of them were UN-registered refugees. The majority have parents who were refugees following the first major war between Israel and the Arab nations around it, in 1948. For many centuries, Jews also lived in Gaza, including during the Hasmonean Era (167-63 BCE) and the Geonic Period (600-1050 CE), and also during Ottoman rule and the 20th century. In 1987, after the first Intifada, Israel made its control over Gaza stricter. By 1994, Israel had built fences, walls and military zones around Gaza. Strict rules who could enter and leave were enforced However, most Palestinians wanted to end the occupation and create an independent state. In October 2000, Israel began to frequently bomb Gaza. from Gaza by removing its soldiers and settlers. It was thought, it would mean Gaza was free. However, Israel still controlled Gaza's border, sea, and air.

In 2006, Hamas won the election of the Palestinian Legislative Council election, resulting in taking more control over Gaza by creating its own security force. This led to clashing with Fatah supporters in the Gaza strip.

**2009-2014**

In January 2009, Israel began a naval blockade of Gaza. The goal was to stop weapons and materials from reaching Hamas. However, it further limited what could enter or leave Gaza. which were caused by the Gaza flotilla raid. This allowed more goods to enter however it kept the naval blockade. There was almost no clean water and thousands of homes were destroyed. 

On October 9, 2023, Israel made its blockade of the Gaza Strip much stricter. It stopped or limited the entry of many essential things like food, water, fuel, and medicine. Israel said the blockade would continue until Hamas returned all Israeli hostages it had taken.

The United Nations aid agency (UNRWA) and other groups say this blockade has caused a very serious humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Some human rights organizations and experts accuse Israel of using hunger as a weapon of war, which they say is a war crime.

#### Genocide 
During the war, some governments, international organizations, and experts have accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

They point to Israel's military actions, the strict blockade, and the high number of civilian deaths. These groups say that Israel's goal is to destroy the Palestinian population in Gaza, in whole or in part.

Organizations that have made or supported these accusations include a United Nations special committee and a UN commission of inquiry,

Israel denies these accusations. It states that its military actions are aimed at Hamas, not civilians, and are necessary for its self-defense following the October 7th attacks.

#### Timeline 
#### Consequences of the blockade 
The Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip has led to a humanitarian crisis, with a famine threatening the people of Gaza. The IPC warned of severe cases of malnutrition, affecting 70,000 children in Gaza until March 2026. 14,000 cases of that are very urgent.

In an Al-Jazeera interview, Ahmed al-Farra, director of paediatrics and obstetrics at al-Tahreer Maternity Hospital, speaks about long term health risks for the people in Gaza, threatening the development of a whole generation.

## Sports 
In 2010, Gaza inaugurated its first Olympic-size swimming pool at the As-Sadaka club. The opening ceremony was held by the Islamic Society. The swimming team of as-Sadaka holds several gold and silver medals from Palestinian swimming competitions.

## Related pages 
* The Arab-Israeli conflict
* State of Palestine
* Mandatory Palestine

## References