Gaza Strip: Key Facts Amid Israel-Hamas Conflict, 2023.
The Gaza Strip has been a focal point of intense conflict for over a week due to Israeli retaliatory airstrikes following a terror attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7.
This narrow land lies between Israel and Egypt, along the Mediterranean Sea, and is home to approximately 2.3 million Palestinians. It’s known for its extreme population density, with a land area of 140 square miles, roughly the size of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Most of the population in Gaza is young, with nearly 65% of residents under 24. Since 2007, Israel has imposed a strict air, land, and sea blockade on the Gaza Strip, primarily to protect itself from attacks by Hamas.
Gaza is effectively enclosed by concrete walls and barbed wire fences, limiting the movement of Palestinians in and out of the territory, except in rare cases involving urgent medical conditions.
Israeli settlers do not face the same restrictions, and human rights organizations have described Gaza as “the world’s largest open-air prison.”
According to the United Nations, the economy in Gaza has suffered significantly due to these restrictions, with an unemployment rate exceeding 40%, and 63% of the population experiencing food insecurity. Around 80% of Gaza’s residents also depend on international aid for their basic needs.
The situation worsened when Israel implemented a total siege of Gaza following the October 7 terror attack, cutting off essential supplies like food, water, and electricity, upon which the enclave heavily relies.
As a result, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) warned that fresh water is running out in Gaza, and the sole power plant in Gaza ran out of fuel.
According to the World Health Organization, the healthcare system in Gaza is under severe strain, with hospitals having only a few hours of electricity each day. Omar Shakir of Human Rights Watch emphasized the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, stating that it has reached unprecedented depths.
Control over the Gaza Strip is divided between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. In 2006, Hamas won the elections in Gaza, defeating the Fatah party, and has since maintained political control.
However, there have been no subsequent elections in Gaza, and Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and many other countries, does not recognize Israel and demands the end of Gaza’s blockade and the cessation of Israeli occupation in Palestinian territories.
Hamas, once known for calling for the destruction of Israel, issued a new charter in 2017 that removed such language but still called for the liberation of all of historic Palestine, which includes Israel.
The Gaza Strip is one of two designated Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank. It is divided into five governorates: Gaza City, North Gaza, Rafah, Deir el-Balah, and Khan Younis.
The history of Gaza is marked by territorial changes and conflicts, stemming from the creation of Israel in 1948 and the subsequent Arab-Israeli war. Israel gained control of Gaza and the West Bank in the 1967 Six-Day War, a situation recognized by the United Nations as an occupation of Palestinian territories.
The ongoing conflict has had severe humanitarian consequences.
Between 2008 and 2023, prior to the current conflict, Israeli airstrikes resulted in the deaths of 6,407 Palestinians in the occupied territories, with 5,360 of those deaths occurring in Gaza, according to the United Nations. Over the same period, 308 Israelis were killed.
In the recent escalation of violence, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued evacuation orders for 1.1 million residents in northern Gaza, anticipating an Israeli ground attack. The U.N. expressed concerns about the massive displacement, as moving this many people would have devastating humanitarian consequences.
Israel has also mobilized troops along the Gaza border, preparing for a potential ground offensive against Hamas. Meanwhile, Israeli hostages remain trapped in Gaza, an action condemned by U.N. experts as a war crime.
The U.N. has criticized both Hamas for its October 7 attack and Israel for its “violent and indiscriminate attacks against Palestinian civilians in Gaza” and the further tightening of the blockade.
