Gaza

Gaza, or the Gaza Strip, is a Palestinian-controlled coastal area, 360 square kilometers in size, located on the Mediterranean Sea between Israel and Egypt. By July 2009, Gaza had a population of 1,551,859 people, making it one of the most densely populated areas in the world. It is predominantly Sunni Muslim (99.3 percent), alongside 0.7 percent Christian residents. Its largest city is Gaza City.

The area had been under Egyptian sovereignty from the end of the War of Independence in 1948 until 1967, when Israel captured the area in the Six-Day War. In subsequent years, Israel embarked on a controversial settlement of Gaza – which was both domestically and internationally challenged - based on the religious-Zionist belief that Gaza is part of the Jewish people’s ancient biblical homeland.

Under the terms of the Oslo Accords of 1993, Gaza came under Palestinian administration, and Israel removed most of its troops from the area, with the exception of those guarding Israeli settlements in the strip.

IDF forces and Israeli settlements were unilaterally removed in August 2005, after which the Fatah faction assumed governmental control of Gaza and its population. Nevertheless, Israel still controls the waters, airspace and most access to the Gaza Strip.

In January 2006, the militant Islamic faction Hamas won the Palestinian elections, gaining control of the Palestinian council. Because of Hamas’ status as a terror group, economic sanctions were immediately imposed by Israel and other Western countries. After a failed attempt by Fatah leader and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to form a unity government, bloody clashes between Hamas and Fatah erupted in Gaza, resulting in the seizure of the area by Hamas in June 2007.

Since Israel's withdrawal, Hamas and other Palestinian groups have used Gaza as a launch site for thousands of mortar shells and rockets fired at southern Israeli towns and villages. In June 2006, IDF soldier Gilad Shalit was seized by Palestinian gunmen who had tunneled under the Gaza border into Israel. Two other soldiers were killed in the attack. Shalit has been held in Gaza since.

In late December 2008, following the disintegration of its fragile cease-fire agreement with Hamas and persistent rocket fire on its southern communities, Israel sent its troops into Gaza, in a three-week offensive called Operation Cast Lead. The operation was aimed at stamping out the rocket fire, and targeted Hamas personnel and military installations. Israel came under much international criticism for what was seen to be a heavy-handed approach to the problem of the rocket fire, and the death toll from the campaign was put at some 1,200 Palestinians and 13 Israelis.

Following the Gaza war, as it was known by many, a tense but relatively stable cease-fire has been upheld by Israel and Hamas.

Latest Stories on Gaza

Report: Palestinian killed, three injured in IAF strike on Gaza sites

Israel Air Force strikes were in response to a short-range rocket that was launched from Gaza on Saturday and wounded an Israeli woman; IDF says has no immediate information about casualties.

by Haaretz and Reuters 18 comments

Illegal shark fishing - Yaniv Levy - 12022012

Illegal shark fishing in the Mediterranean on the rise

Shark fishing is illegal in Israel since 42 percent of the 70 shark species in the Mediterranean Sea are in danger of extinction.

by Zafrir Rinat 3 comments

Hamas official lashes out at unity agreement with Fatah

Mahmoud A-Zahar criticizes Doha Agreement, says appointment of Abbas to lead unity cabinet is 'a wrong and unacceptable move on a strategic level.'

by Avi Issacharoff 9 comments

Ismail Haniyeh - Reuters - Jan. 8 , 2012

Hamas's Gaza-based leadership challenges Palestinian unity deal

Ismail Haniyeh and Mahmoud al-Zahar come out against key clause in Fatah-Hamas reconciliation deal in which Abbas would serve as both president and prime minister of future Palestinian government.

by Reuters 39 comments

View All Latest Opinion on Gaza

Supreme Court thrusts Israel down the slope of apartheid

The High Court of Justice's ruling touches on the balance between security needs and individual rights, but the public will understand it as a demographic ruling that protects Jews while harming Arab citizens.

Haaretz Editorial 0 comments

Israeli war drums ignore Hamas move for change

Instead of encouraging moderation, whether genuine or imaginary, whether strategic or tactical, Israel is rushing to nip it in the bud.

by Gideon Levy 0 comments

Israel needs to listen to Hamas, and take notice

Israel must not ignore the declarations by the Hamas leadership and reject the chance of achieving a cease-fire with the organization, at the very least.

Haaretz Editorial 51 comments

World must interfere in Israel's internal affairs

The new world will eventually tell Israel: Stay in the occupied territories, but give all its residents equal rights and justice. What will Israel say then? Interference in its internal affairs? Foreign intervention? You've got to be kidding.

by Gideon Levy 49 comments

View All Pictures of Gaza