Even before the latest war between Israel and Hamas, Gaza had one of the highest unemployment rates in the world. Many people were living below the poverty line and depending on food aid to survive.
Gaza’s boundaries were drawn up as a result of the 1948 Middle East war, when it was occupied by Egypt.
Egypt was driven out of Gaza in the 1967 war and the Strip was occupied by Israel, which built settlements and placed Gaza’s Palestinian population under military rule.
In 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew its troops and settlers from Gaza, though it retained control of its shared border, airspace and shoreline, giving it effective control of the movement of people and goods.
The UN still regards Gaza as Israeli-occupied territory because of the level of control Israel has.
Hamas won Palestinian elections in 2006, and ejected its rivals from the territory after intense fighting the following year.
Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade in response, with Israel controlling most of what was allowed into the territory.
In the years that followed, Hamas and Israel fought several major conflicts – including those in 2008-09, 2012 and 2014. A major conflict between the two sides in May 2021 ended in a ceasefire after 11 days.
Every round of fighting has seen people killed on both sides, the vast majority of them Palestinians in Gaza.
On 7 October 2023, Hamas fighters launched an assault from Gaza, killing about 1,200 people in Israel and taking more than 250 hostages.
+ There are no comments
Add yours