The southern border with Egypt continued to be the international border drawn in 1906 between the Ottoman Empire and the British Empire. Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip or Egypt were issued All-Palestine passports.
Ottoman rule continued until the years following World War I, when the Ottoman Empire collapsed and Gaza formed part of the League of Nations British Mandate of Palestine. ===1923–1948 British Mandate=== The British Mandate for Palestine was based on the principles contained in Article 22 of the draft Covenant of the League of Nations and the San Remo Resolution of 25 April 1920 by the principal Allied and associated powers after the First World War.
In a report submitted to the UN in 2013, the chairperson of Al Athar Global Consulting in Gaza, Reham el Wehaidy, encouraged the repair of basic infrastructure by 2020, in the light of projected demographic increase of 500,000 by 2020 and intensified housing problems. ===Prior to 1923=== The earliest major settlement in the area was at Tell El Sakan and Tall al-Ajjul, two Bronze Age settlements that served as administrative outposts for Ancient Egyptian governance.
The mandate formalized British rule in the southern part of Ottoman Syria from 1923–1948. ===1948 All-Palestine government=== On 22 September 1948, towards the end of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the All-Palestine Government was proclaimed in the Egyptian-occupied Gaza City by the Arab League.
The reshuffle of the previous government was approved by Gaza-based Hamas MPs from the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) or parliament. The legal code Hamas applies in Gaza is based on Ottoman laws, the British Mandate's 1936 legal code, Palestinian Authority law, Sharia law, and Israeli military orders.
Gaza is dependent on Israel for its water, electricity, telecommunications, and other utilities. The Gaza Strip acquired its current northern and eastern boundaries at the cessation of fighting in the 1948 war, confirmed by the Israel–Egypt Armistice Agreement on 24 February 1949.
At first the Gaza Strip was officially administered by the All-Palestine Government, established by the Arab League in September 1948.
The mandate formalized British rule in the southern part of Ottoman Syria from 1923–1948. ===1948 All-Palestine government=== On 22 September 1948, towards the end of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the All-Palestine Government was proclaimed in the Egyptian-occupied Gaza City by the Arab League.
The influx of over 200,000 refugees from former Mandatory Palestine, roughly a quarter of those who fled or were expelled from their homes during, and in the aftermath of, the 1948 Arab–Israeli War into Gaza resulted in a dramatic decrease in the standard of living.
The majority of the Palestinians descend from refugees who were driven from or left their homes during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.
Gaza is dependent on Israel for its water, electricity, telecommunications, and other utilities. The Gaza Strip acquired its current northern and eastern boundaries at the cessation of fighting in the 1948 war, confirmed by the Israel–Egypt Armistice Agreement on 24 February 1949.
It was not recognized by any country outside the Arab League. After the cessation of hostilities, the Israel–Egypt Armistice Agreement of 24 February 1949 established the separation line between Egyptian and Israeli forces, and set what became the present boundary between the Gaza Strip and Israel.
From the end of 1949, they received aid directly from UNRWA.
All-Palestine in the Gaza Strip was managed under the military authority of Egypt, functioning as a puppet state, until it officially merged into the United Arab Republic and dissolved in 1959.
It subsequently moved to Cairo and dissolved in 1959 by decree of Egyptian President Gamal Abdul Nasser. ===1959–1967 Egyptian occupation=== After the dissolution of the All-Palestine Government in 1959, under the excuse of pan-Arabism, Egypt continued to occupy the Gaza Strip until 1967.
From the time of the dissolution of the All-Palestine Government until 1967, the Gaza Strip was directly administered by an Egyptian military governor. Israel captured the Gaza Strip from Egypt in the Six-Day War in 1967.
It subsequently moved to Cairo and dissolved in 1959 by decree of Egyptian President Gamal Abdul Nasser. ===1959–1967 Egyptian occupation=== After the dissolution of the All-Palestine Government in 1959, under the excuse of pan-Arabism, Egypt continued to occupy the Gaza Strip until 1967.
Because the Egyptian government restricted movement to and from the Gaza Strip, its inhabitants could not look elsewhere for gainful employment. ===1967 Israeli occupation=== In June 1967, during the Six-Day War, Israel Defense Forces captured the Gaza Strip. According to Tom Segev, moving the Palestinians out of the country had been a persistent element of Zionist thinking from early times.
In total, between 1967 and 2005, Israel established 21 settlements in Gaza, comprising 20% of the total territory. The economic growth rate from 1967 to 1982 averaged roughly 9.7 percent per annum, due in good part to expanded income from work opportunities inside Israel, which had a major utility for the latter by supplying the country with a large unskilled and semi-skilled workforce.
Israel—which had begun its occupation by helping Gazans to plant approximately 618,000 trees in 1968, and to improve seed selection—over the first 3-year period of the second intifada, destroyed 10 percent of Gazan agricultural land, and uprooted 226,000 trees.
Sara Roy characterised the pattern as one of structural de-development ====1979 Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty==== On 26 March 1979, Israel and Egypt signed the Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty.
During that time, the military was responsible for the maintenance of civil facilities and services. After the Egyptian–Israeli Peace Treaty 1979, a 100-meter-wide buffer zone between Gaza and Egypt known as the Philadelphi Route was established.
In total, between 1967 and 2005, Israel established 21 settlements in Gaza, comprising 20% of the total territory. The economic growth rate from 1967 to 1982 averaged roughly 9.7 percent per annum, due in good part to expanded income from work opportunities inside Israel, which had a major utility for the latter by supplying the country with a large unskilled and semi-skilled workforce.
Most of the inhabitants are Sunni Muslims, with an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 Arab Christians, making the region 99.8 percent Sunni Muslim and 0.2 percent Christian. ==Religion and culture== ===Religious compliance of population to Islam=== ====Islamic law in Gaza==== From 1987 to 1991, during the First Intifada, Hamas campaigned for the wearing of the [head-cover and for other measures (such as the promotion of
The Strip's population has continued to increase since that time, one of the main reasons being a total fertility rate which peaked at 8.3 children per woman in 1991 and fell to 4.4 children per woman in 2013 which was still among the highest worldwide.
Most of the inhabitants are Sunni Muslims, with an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 Arab Christians, making the region 99.8 percent Sunni Muslim and 0.2 percent Christian. ==Religion and culture== ===Religious compliance of population to Islam=== ====Islamic law in Gaza==== From 1987 to 1991, during the First Intifada, Hamas campaigned for the wearing of the [head-cover and for other measures (such as the promotion of
Exports are now down to 2% of 2007 levels." According to Sara Roy, one senior IDF officer told an UNWRA official in 2015 that Israel's policy towards the Gaza Strip consisted of: "No development, no prosperity, no humanitarian crisis." ===After Oslo (1994–2007)=== Economic output in the Gaza Strip declined by about one-third between 1992 and 1996.
Hamas emerged the victor and expelled Fatah-allied officials and members of the PA's security apparatus from the strip, and has remained the sole governing power in Gaza since that date. ==History== Gaza was part of the Ottoman Empire, before it was occupied by the United Kingdom (1918–1948), Egypt (1948–1967), and then Israel, which in 1993 granted the Palestinian Authority in Gaza limited self-governance through the Oslo Accords.
Pursuant to the Oslo Accords signed in 1993, the Palestinian Authority became the administrative body that governed Palestinian population centers while Israel maintained control of the airspace, territorial waters and border crossings with the exception of the land border with Egypt which is controlled by Egypt.
The Gaza Strip remained under Israeli military administration until 1994.
In September 1995, Israel and the PLO signed a second peace agreement, extending the Palestinian Authority to most West Bank towns. Between 1994 and 1996, Israel built the Israeli Gaza Strip barrier to improve security in Israel.
The 1994 Gaza Jericho Agreement allows 20 nautical miles, and the 2002 Bertini Commitment allows 12 nautical miles. In August 2015, the IDF confirmed a buffer zone of 300 meters for residents and 100 meters for farmers, but without explaining how to distinguish between the two.
In September 1995, Israel and the PLO signed a second peace agreement, extending the Palestinian Authority to most West Bank towns. Between 1994 and 1996, Israel built the Israeli Gaza Strip barrier to improve security in Israel.
In September 1995, Israel and the PLO signed a second peace agreement, extending the Palestinian Authority to most West Bank towns. Between 1994 and 1996, Israel built the Israeli Gaza Strip barrier to improve security in Israel.
Exports are now down to 2% of 2007 levels." According to Sara Roy, one senior IDF officer told an UNWRA official in 2015 that Israel's policy towards the Gaza Strip consisted of: "No development, no prosperity, no humanitarian crisis." ===After Oslo (1994–2007)=== Economic output in the Gaza Strip declined by about one-third between 1992 and 1996.
The Accords also permitted Palestinians to construct an airport, which was duly built and opened in 1998.
In 1998, Israel implemented new policies to ease security procedures and allow somewhat freer movement of Gazan goods and labor into Israel.
The barrier was largely torn down by Palestinians at the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Intifada in September 2000. ====2000 Second Intifada==== The Second Intifada broke out in September 2000 with waves of protest, civil unrest and bombings against Israeli military and civilians, many of them perpetrated by suicide bombers.
The Second Intifada also marked the beginning of rocket attacks and bombings of Israeli border localities by Palestinian guerrillas from the Gaza Strip, especially by the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad movements. Between December 2000 and June 2001, the barrier between Gaza and Israel was reconstructed.
In 2000, it was expanded to 150 meters.
These changes led to three years of economic recovery in the Gaza Strip, disrupted by the outbreak of the al-Aqsa Intifada in the last quarter of 2000.
Before the second Palestinian uprising in September 2000, around 25,000 workers from the Gaza Strip (about 2% of the population) worked in Israel on a daily basis. The Second Intifada led to a steep decline in the economy of Gaza, which was heavily reliant upon external markets.
The Second Intifada also marked the beginning of rocket attacks and bombings of Israeli border localities by Palestinian guerrillas from the Gaza Strip, especially by the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad movements. Between December 2000 and June 2001, the barrier between Gaza and Israel was reconstructed.
Israel destroyed Gaza's only airport in 2001 and 2002, during the Second Intifada. The Israeli army makes use of drones, which can launch precise missiles.
A seaport was planned to be built in Gaza with help from France and The Netherlands, but the project was bombed by Israel in 2001.
In 2001, and even more so in early 2002, internal turmoil and Israeli military measures led to widespread business closures and a sharp drop in GDP.
Israel destroyed Gaza's only airport in 2001 and 2002, during the Second Intifada. The Israeli army makes use of drones, which can launch precise missiles.
The 1994 Gaza Jericho Agreement allows 20 nautical miles, and the 2002 Bertini Commitment allows 12 nautical miles. In August 2015, the IDF confirmed a buffer zone of 300 meters for residents and 100 meters for farmers, but without explaining how to distinguish between the two.
In 2001, and even more so in early 2002, internal turmoil and Israeli military measures led to widespread business closures and a sharp drop in GDP.
A barrier on the Gaza Strip-Egypt border was constructed starting in 2004.
Sunni Muslims make up the predominant part of the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip. Despite the 2005 Israeli disengagement from Gaza, the United Nations, international human rights organisations, and the majority of governments and legal commentators consider the territory to be still occupied by Israel, supported by additional restrictions placed on Gaza by Egypt.
Since 2007, the Gaza Strip has been de facto governed by Hamas, which claims to represent the Palestinian National Authority and the Palestinian people. The territory is still considered to be occupied by Israel by the United Nations, International human rights organisations, and the majority of governments and legal commentators, despite the 2005 Israeli disengagement from Gaza.
In 2005, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip under their unilateral disengagement plan. In July 2007, after winning the 2006 Palestinian legislative election, Hamas became the elected government.
In total, between 1967 and 2005, Israel established 21 settlements in Gaza, comprising 20% of the total territory. The economic growth rate from 1967 to 1982 averaged roughly 9.7 percent per annum, due in good part to expanded income from work opportunities inside Israel, which had a major utility for the latter by supplying the country with a large unskilled and semi-skilled workforce.
"Egypt maintains a strict blockade on Gaza in order to isolate Hamas from Islamist insurgents in the Sinai." ====2005 Israel's unilateral disengagement==== In February 2005, the Knesset approved a unilateral disengagement plan and began removing Israeli settlers from the Gaza Strip in 2005.
With the Agreement on Movement and Access, known as the Rafah Agreement in the same year Israel ended its presence in the Philadelphi Route and transferred responsibility for security arrangements to Egypt and the PA under the supervision of the EU. The Israel Defense Forces left the Gaza Strip on 1 September 2005 as part of Israel's unilateral disengagement plan and all Israeli citizens were evicted from the area.
In November 2005, an "Agreement on Movement and Access" between Israel and the Palestinian Authority was brokered by then US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to improve Palestinian freedom of movement and economic activity in the Gaza Strip.
Goods were also permitted transit at the Karni crossing in the north. After the Israeli withdrawal in 2005 the Oslo Accords give the Palestinian Authority administrative authority in the Gaza Strip.
The Rafah Border Crossing has been supervised by EU Border Assistance Mission Rafah under an agreement finalized in November 2005.
In spite of Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, the Hamas government in Gaza considers Gaza as occupied territory. Israel states that it does not exercise effective control or authority over any land or institutions in the Gaza Strip and thus the Gaza Strip is no longer subject to the former military occupation.
The Supreme Court ruled that Israel has not exercised effective control over the Gaza Strip since 2005, and accordingly, it was no longer occupied. In a legal analysis Hanne Cuyckens agrees with the Israeli position that Gaza is no longer occupied - "Gaza is not technically occupied, given that there is no longer any effective control in the sense of Article 42 of the Hague Regulations.
Following the 2005 Israeli disengagement from Gaza, an undefined buffer zone was maintained, including a no-fishing zone along the coast. In 2009/2010, Israel expanded the buffer zone to 300 meters.
When Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2005, more than 3,000 (about half) of the greenhouses were purchased with $14 million raised by former World Bank president James Wolfensohn, and given to Palestinians to jump-start their economy.
Many Palestinian companies repaired the greenhouses damaged and looted by the Palestinians after the Israeli withdrawal. In 2005, after the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, Gaza businessmen envisaged a "magnificent future".
Both fell under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority, but the strip has, since the Battle of Gaza in June 2007, been governed by Hamas, a Palestinian fundamentalist militant Islamic organization, which came to power in the last-held elections in 2006.
The extent of self-rule exercised in the Gaza Strip has led some to describe the territory as a de facto independent state. When Hamas won a majority in the 2006 Palestinian legislative election, the opposing political party, Fatah, refused to join the proposed coalition, until a short-lived unity government agreement was brokered by Saudi Arabia.
In 2005, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip under their unilateral disengagement plan. In July 2007, after winning the 2006 Palestinian legislative election, Hamas became the elected government.
The Oslo Accord permits Israel to control the airspace and sea space. ====Post-2006 elections violence==== In the Palestinian parliamentary elections held on 25 January 2006, Hamas won a plurality of 42.9% of the total vote and 74 out of 132 total seats (56%).
I have seen a lot in my years as a journalist in Gaza, but this is the worst it's been." From 2006–2007 more than 600 Palestinians were killed in fighting between Hamas and Fatah.
160 Palestinians killed each other in June alone. ===2007 Hamas takeover=== Following the victory of Hamas in the 2006 Palestinian legislative election, Hamas and Fatah formed the Palestinian authority national unity government headed by Ismail Haniya.
After the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the flow of a limited number of workers into Israel resumed, although Israel said it would reduce or end such permits due to the victory of Hamas in the 2006 parliamentary elections. The Israeli settlers of Gush Katif built greenhouses and experimented with new forms of agriculture.
After the 2006 elections, fighting broke out between Fatah and Hamas, which Hamas won in the Gaza Strip on 14 June 2007.
Both fell under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority, but the strip has, since the Battle of Gaza in June 2007, been governed by Hamas, a Palestinian fundamentalist militant Islamic organization, which came to power in the last-held elections in 2006.
Since 2007, the Gaza Strip has been de facto governed by Hamas, which claims to represent the Palestinian National Authority and the Palestinian people. The territory is still considered to be occupied by Israel by the United Nations, International human rights organisations, and the majority of governments and legal commentators, despite the 2005 Israeli disengagement from Gaza.
In 2005, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip under their unilateral disengagement plan. In July 2007, after winning the 2006 Palestinian legislative election, Hamas became the elected government.
In 2007, Hamas expelled the rival party Fatah from Gaza.
The resulting political disorder and economic stagnation led to many Palestinians emigrating from the Gaza Strip. In January 2007, fighting erupted between Hamas and Fatah.
The deadliest clashes occurred in the northern Gaza Strip, where General Muhammed Gharib, a senior commander of the Fatah-dominated Preventive Security Force, died when a rocket hit his home. On 30 January 2007, a truce was negotiated between Fatah and Hamas.
Officers from Abbas' presidential guard battled Hamas gunmen guarding the Hamas-led Interior Ministry. In May 2007, new fighting broke out between the factions.
349 Palestinians were killed in fighting between factions in 2007.
Egyptian security forces uncovered 60 tunnels in 2007. ====Egyptian border barrier breach==== On 23 January 2008, after months of preparation during which the steel reinforcement of the border barrier was weakened, Hamas destroyed several parts of the wall dividing Gaza and Egypt in the town of Rafah.
The Hamas government of 2012 was the second Palestinian Hamas-dominated government, ruling over the Gaza Strip, since the split of the Palestinian National Authority in 2007.
The main trade partners of the Gaza Strip are Israel and Egypt. The EU described the Gaza economy as follows: "Since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007 and following the closure imposed by Israel, the situation in the Strip has been one of chronic need, de-development and donor dependency, despite a temporary relaxation on restrictions in movement of people and goods following a flotilla raid in 2010.
Exports are now down to 2% of 2007 levels." According to Sara Roy, one senior IDF officer told an UNWRA official in 2015 that Israel's policy towards the Gaza Strip consisted of: "No development, no prosperity, no humanitarian crisis." ===After Oslo (1994–2007)=== Economic output in the Gaza Strip declined by about one-third between 1992 and 1996.
$1.1 million was invested in an upscale restaurant, Roots, and plans were made to turn one of the Israeli settlements into a family resort. ===Following Hamas takeover (2007–present)=== The European Union states: "Gaza has experienced continuous economic decline since the imposition of a closure policy by Israel in 2007.
After the 2006 elections, fighting broke out between Fatah and Hamas, which Hamas won in the Gaza Strip on 14 June 2007.
The blockades by Israel and Egypt extended to drastic reductions in the availability of necessary construction materials, medical supplies, and foodstuffs following intensive airstrikes on Gaza City in December 2008.
PNA security forces in the West Bank arrested a number of Hamas members. In late June 2008, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan declared the West Bank-based cabinet formed by Abbas as "the sole legitimate Palestinian government".
Egyptian security forces uncovered 60 tunnels in 2007. ====Egyptian border barrier breach==== On 23 January 2008, after months of preparation during which the steel reinforcement of the border barrier was weakened, Hamas destroyed several parts of the wall dividing Gaza and Egypt in the town of Rafah.
The Rafah crossing remained closed into mid-February. In February 2008, 2008 Israel-Gaza conflict intensified, with rockets launched at Israeli cities.
Aggression by Hamas led to Israeli military action on 1 March 2008, resulting in over 110 Palestinians being killed according to BBC News, as well as 2 Israeli soldiers.
Israeli human rights group B'Tselem estimated that 45 of those killed were not involved in hostilities, and 15 were minors. After a round of tit-for-tat arrests between Fatah and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, the Hilles clan from Gaza were relocated to Jericho on 4 August 2008.
Retiring Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on 11 November 2008, "The question is not whether there will be a confrontation, but when it will take place, under what circumstances, and who will control these circumstances, who will dictate them, and who will know to exploit the time from the beginning of the ceasefire until the moment of confrontation in the best possible way." On 14 November 2008, Israel blockaded its border with Gaza after a five-month ceasefire broke down.
"Palestinian officials said that a $10 million grant from Qatar was covering the cost of two weeks' worth of industrial diesel that started entering Gaza by truckload from Israel." On 25 November 2008, Israel closed its cargo crossing with Gaza after Qassam rockets were fired into its territory.
On 28 November, after a 24-hour period of quiet, the IDF facilitated the transfer of over thirty truckloads of food, basic supplies and medicine into Gaza and transferred fuel to the area's main power plant. ===2008 Gaza War=== On 27 December 2008, Israeli F-16 fighters launched a series of air strikes against targets in Gaza following the breakdown of a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas.
Israel said that the attack was a response to Hamas rocket attacks on southern Israel, which totaled over 3,000 in 2008, and which intensified during the few weeks preceding the operation.
According to Israel, between the Hamas takeover and the end of January 2008, 697 rockets and 822 mortar bombs were fired at Israeli towns.
In January 2008, Israel curtailed travel from Gaza, the entry of goods, and cut fuel supplies, resulting in power shortages.
The role of private corporations in the relationship between Israel and the Gaza Strip is an issue that has not been extensively studied. Due to continued rocket attacks including 50 in one day, in March 2008, air strikes and ground incursions by the IDF led to the deaths of over 110 Palestinians and extensive damage to Jabalia. ===Occupation=== The international community regards all of the Palestinian territories including Gaza as occupied.
Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel Tzipi Livni stated in January 2008: "Israel got out of Gaza.
No Israeli soldiers were left there after the disengagement." On 30 January 2008, the Supreme Court of Israel ruled that the Gaza Strip was not occupied by Israel in a decision on a petition against Israeli restrictions against the Gaza Strip which argued that it remained occupied.
A leaked UN report in 2009 warned that the blockade was "devastating livelihoods" and causing gradual "de-development".
Israel began a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip on 3 January 2009.
The people of Gaza still suffer from the loss of these facilities and homes, especially since they have great challenges to rebuild them. By February 2009, food availability returned to pre-war levels but a shortage of fresh produce was forecast due to damage sustained by the agricultural sector. In the immediate aftermath of the Gaza War, Hamas executed 19 Palestinian Fatah members, on charges that they had collaborated with Israel.
Following the 2005 Israeli disengagement from Gaza, an undefined buffer zone was maintained, including a no-fishing zone along the coast. In 2009/2010, Israel expanded the buffer zone to 300 meters.
Per capita income (PPP) was estimated at US$3,100 in 2009, a position of 164th in the world.
Seventy percent of the population is below the poverty line according to a 2009 estimate.
In 2010, the UN estimated that 30 percent of the arable land in Gaza had been lost to the buffer zone. On 25 February 2013, pursuant to a November 2012 ceasefire, Israel declared a buffer zone of 100 meters on land and 6 nautical miles offshore.
In the 18 months until November 2010, one Thai farm worker in Israel was killed by a rocket fired from Gaza, and in 2010, according to IDF figures, 180 rockets and mortars had been fired into Israel by militants.
According to Diskin, Hamas and Islamic Jihad had smuggled in over "5,000 rockets with ranges up to ." Some of the rockets could reach as far as the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area. Israeli spokesman Mark Regev described Israel's actions as "sanctions," not a blockade, but a Gazan legal consultant for UNRWA called the blockade "an action outside of international law." In July 2010, British Prime Minister David Cameron said, "humanitarian goods and people must flow in both directions.
government travel guides warned tourists that the region was dangerous. Facing mounting international pressure, Egypt and Israel lessened the restrictions starting in June 2010, when the Rafah border crossing from Egypt to Gaza was partially opened by Egypt.
The main trade partners of the Gaza Strip are Israel and Egypt. The EU described the Gaza economy as follows: "Since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007 and following the closure imposed by Israel, the situation in the Strip has been one of chronic need, de-development and donor dependency, despite a temporary relaxation on restrictions in movement of people and goods following a flotilla raid in 2010.
Israel imposed a blockade, and the only goods permitted into the Strip through the land crossings were goods of a humanitarian nature, and these were permitted in limited quantities. An easing of Israel's closure policy in 2010 resulted in an improvement in some economic indicators, although exports were still restricted.
The Gaza Strip is largely dependent on water from Wadi Gaza, which also supplies Israel. Gaza's marine gas reserves extend 32 kilometres from the Gaza Strip's coastline and were calculated at 35 BCM. ==Demographics== In 2010 approximately 1.6 million Palestinians lived in the Gaza Strip, almost 1.0 million of them UN-registered refugees.
The eastern Karni Crossing used for cargo, closed down in 2011.
He confirmed "that Israel is the only country that currently sends supplies to the coastal enclave". In January and February 2011, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) assessed measures taken to ease the blockade and concluded that they were helpful but not sufficient to improve the lives of the local inhabitants.
After Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak resigned on 28 May 2011, Egypt permanently opened its border with the Gaza Strip to students, medical patients, and foreign passport holders. Following the 2013 Egyptian coup d'état, Egypt's military has destroyed most of the 1,200 tunnels which are used for smuggling food, weapons, and other goods to Gaza.
According to the Israeli Defense Forces and the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the economy of the Gaza Strip improved in 2011, with a drop in unemployment and an increase in GDP.
Among other alleged sources of Gaza administration budget is Iran. A diplomatic source told Reuters that Iran had funded Hamas in the past with up to $300 million per year, but the flow of money had not been regular in 2011.
Chief of Gaza's parliament's budget committee Jamal Nassar said the 2012 budget is $769 million, compared to $630 million in 2011. ==Geography and climate== The Gaza Strip is located in the Middle East (at ).
In 2012, the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in the occupied Palestinian territory warned that the Gaza Strip might not be a "liveable place" by 2020 and as of 2020, Gaza suffered shortages of water, medicine and power, a situation exacerbated by the coronavirus crisis.
The Hamas government of 2012 was the second Palestinian Hamas-dominated government, ruling over the Gaza Strip, since the split of the Palestinian National Authority in 2007.
It was announced in early September 2012.
In 2010, the UN estimated that 30 percent of the arable land in Gaza had been lost to the buffer zone. On 25 February 2013, pursuant to a November 2012 ceasefire, Israel declared a buffer zone of 100 meters on land and 6 nautical miles offshore.
To make up for the deficit, young people are being sent to learn the trade in Turkey. In 2012, Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar said that Gaza's economic situation has improved and Gaza has become self-reliant "in several aspects except petroleum and electricity" despite Israel's blockade.
As the crisis broke out, Hamas sought to equip the Rafah terminal between Egypt and Gaza for fuel transfer, and refused to accept fuel to be delivered via the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza. In mid-February 2012, as the crisis escalated, Hamas rejected an Egyptian proposal to bring in fuel via the Kerem Shalom Crossing between Israel and Gaza to reactivate Gaza's only power plant.
Israel also shipped 150,000 liters of diesel through the crossing, which was paid for by the Red Cross. In April 2012, the issue was resolved as certain amounts of fuel were supplied with the involvement of the Red Cross, after the Palestinian Authority and Hamas reached a deal.
Chief of Gaza's parliament's budget committee Jamal Nassar said the 2012 budget is $769 million, compared to $630 million in 2011. ==Geography and climate== The Gaza Strip is located in the Middle East (at ).
In a report submitted to the UN in 2013, the chairperson of Al Athar Global Consulting in Gaza, Reham el Wehaidy, encouraged the repair of basic infrastructure by 2020, in the light of projected demographic increase of 500,000 by 2020 and intensified housing problems. ===Prior to 1923=== The earliest major settlement in the area was at Tell El Sakan and Tall al-Ajjul, two Bronze Age settlements that served as administrative outposts for Ancient Egyptian governance.
In 2013 Israel and Qatar brought Gaza's lone power plant back to life for the first time in seven weeks, bringing relief to the Palestinian coastal enclave where a lack of cheap fuel has contributed to the overflow of raw sewage, 21-hour blackouts and flooding after a ferocious winter storm.
In June 2013, the Islamic Jihad broke ties with Hamas leaders after Hamas police fatally shot the commander of Islamic Jihad's military wing.
In 2010, the UN estimated that 30 percent of the arable land in Gaza had been lost to the buffer zone. On 25 February 2013, pursuant to a November 2012 ceasefire, Israel declared a buffer zone of 100 meters on land and 6 nautical miles offshore.
After Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak resigned on 28 May 2011, Egypt permanently opened its border with the Gaza Strip to students, medical patients, and foreign passport holders. Following the 2013 Egyptian coup d'état, Egypt's military has destroyed most of the 1,200 tunnels which are used for smuggling food, weapons, and other goods to Gaza.
After the August 2013 Rabaa Massacre in Egypt, the border crossing was closed 'indefinitely.' Israel has alternately restricted or allowed goods and people to cross the terrestrial border and handles vicariously the movement of goods into and out of Gaza by air and sea.
Pursuant to the Accords, the Israel Electric Corporation exclusively supplies the electricity (63% of the total consumption in 2013).
The Strip's population has continued to increase since that time, one of the main reasons being a total fertility rate which peaked at 8.3 children per woman in 1991 and fell to 4.4 children per woman in 2013 which was still among the highest worldwide.
This broke the Unity Government between Gaza Strip and the West Bank, creating two separate governments for the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In 2014, following reconciliation talks, Hamas and Fatah formed a Palestinian unity government within the West Bank and Gaza.
In July 2014, a set of lethal incidents between Hamas and Israel led to the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict.
Hamas thereafter pursued a course of trying collaborators in courts, rather than executing them in the street. ===A 2014 unity government with Fatah=== On 5 June 2014, Fatah signed a unity agreement with the Hamas political party. ===2014 Israel–Gaza conflict=== ====Connections to Sinai insurgency==== Egypt's Sinai Peninsula borders the Gaza Strip and Israel.
It is simply not plausible to argue that Israel exercises effective control over the Gaza Strip." Likewise, Alex Stein argued in 2014 that Gaza was not occupied by Israel, and thus Israel's only obligation under international law towards Gaza was to minimize harm to civilians during military operations.
In 2014, scores of homes in Rafah were destroyed for the buffer zone.
According to the IDF, the spraying is intended "to prevent the concealment of IED's [Improvised Explosive Devices], and to disrupt and prevent the use of the area for destructive purposes." Also Gaza's agricultural research and development station was destroyed in 2014 and again in January 2016, while import of new equipment is obstructed. ====Movement of people==== Because of the Israeli–Egyptian blockade, the population is not free to leave or enter the Gaza Strip.
The comparison is done by observers, ranging from Roger Cohen and Lawrence Weschler to NGOs, such as B'tselem, and politicians and diplomats, such as David Cameron, Noam Chomsky, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, David Shoebridge and Sir John Holmes In 2014 French President François Hollande called for the demilitarization of Gaza and a lifting of the blockade, saying "Gaza must neither be an open prison nor a military base." An anonymous Israeli analyst has called it "Israel's Alcatraz".
In 2014, the EU's opinion was: "Today, Gaza is facing a dangerous and pressing humanitarian and economic situation with power outages across Gaza for up to 16 hours a day and, as a consequence, the closure of sewage pumping operations, reduced access to clean water; a reduction in medical supplies and equipment; the cessation of imports of construction materials; rising unemployment, rising prices and increased food insecurity.
The high total fertility rate also leads to the Gaza Strip having an unusually high proportion of children in the population, with 43.5% of the population being 14 or younger and in 2014 the median age was 18, compared to a world average of 28 and 30 in Israel.
The Unity Government dissolved on 17 June 2015 after President Abbas said it was unable to operate in the Gaza Strip. Following the takeover of Gaza by Hamas, the territory has been subjected to a blockade, maintained by Israel and Egypt,.
The 1994 Gaza Jericho Agreement allows 20 nautical miles, and the 2002 Bertini Commitment allows 12 nautical miles. In August 2015, the IDF confirmed a buffer zone of 300 meters for residents and 100 meters for farmers, but without explaining how to distinguish between the two.
In December 2015, Egypt asked Israel not to allow Turkish aid to get through to the Gaza Strip.
In 2015, a Gazan woman was not allowed to travel through Israel to Jordan on her way to her own wedding.
Exports are now down to 2% of 2007 levels." According to Sara Roy, one senior IDF officer told an UNWRA official in 2015 that Israel's policy towards the Gaza Strip consisted of: "No development, no prosperity, no humanitarian crisis." ===After Oslo (1994–2007)=== Economic output in the Gaza Strip declined by about one-third between 1992 and 1996.
According to the IDF, the spraying is intended "to prevent the concealment of IED's [Improvised Explosive Devices], and to disrupt and prevent the use of the area for destructive purposes." Also Gaza's agricultural research and development station was destroyed in 2014 and again in January 2016, while import of new equipment is obstructed. ====Movement of people==== Because of the Israeli–Egyptian blockade, the population is not free to leave or enter the Gaza Strip.
The population is expected to increase to 2.1 million in 2020.
In 2012, the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in the occupied Palestinian territory warned that the Gaza Strip might not be a "liveable place" by 2020 and as of 2020, Gaza suffered shortages of water, medicine and power, a situation exacerbated by the coronavirus crisis.
The UN has also urged the lifting of the blockade, while a report by UNCTAD, prepared for the UN General Assembly and released on 25 November 2020, said that Gaza's economy was on the verge of collapse and that it was essential to lift the blockade.
In a report submitted to the UN in 2013, the chairperson of Al Athar Global Consulting in Gaza, Reham el Wehaidy, encouraged the repair of basic infrastructure by 2020, in the light of projected demographic increase of 500,000 by 2020 and intensified housing problems. ===Prior to 1923=== The earliest major settlement in the area was at Tell El Sakan and Tall al-Ajjul, two Bronze Age settlements that served as administrative outposts for Ancient Egyptian governance.
Army of Islam smuggles members into the Gaza Strip for training, then returns them to the Sinai Peninsula to engage in militant and jihadist activities. ===2018 Israel–Gaza conflict=== === 2021 Israel–Gaza crisis === ==Governance== ===Hamas government=== Since its takeover of Gaza, Hamas has exercised executive authority over the Gaza Strip, and it governs the territory through its own ad hoc executive, legislative, and judicial bodies.
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