Egyptian Administration (1948-1967)
Following the 1948 war and the Armistice Agreement, the Gaza Strip came under Egyptian military administration. This period lasted nearly two decades. Egypt did not annex the Strip (unlike Jordan's annexation of the West Bank) nor did it grant citizenship to the Palestinian residents, including the vast refugee population. While governing through a military governor, Egypt allowed Palestinians from Gaza to work and pursue higher education in Egypt, providing some opportunities not available within the crowded and impoverished Strip. However, political activity was restricted, and the territory remained economically underdeveloped and isolated. Palestinian nationalism continued to develop, and Gaza became a base for occasional fedayeen (guerrilla) raids into Israel, prompting Israeli reprisals.
Israeli Occupation (1967-2005)
Israel captured the Gaza Strip from Egypt during the Six-Day War in June 1967. This marked the beginning of 38 years of direct Israeli military occupation. Israel established a Civil Administration to manage daily affairs but retained overall security control. During the occupation, Israel established a bloc of settlements (known as Gush Katif) in the southern part of the Strip, leading to friction with the local Palestinian population and requiring a significant military presence for protection. Life under occupation was characterized by security measures, checkpoints, curfews, economic restrictions (dependence on Israel for jobs and trade), land confiscations for settlements and military infrastructure, and limited political freedom. Gaza, already densely populated and impoverished, became a center of Palestinian political activism and resistance against the occupation.
The Intifadas and the Rise of Hamas
The First Intifada, the popular uprising against Israeli occupation, erupted in the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza in December 1987 before spreading to the West Bank. Gaza was a major center of the Intifada's activities, which included mass protests, strikes, boycotts, civil disobedience, and clashes with Israeli troops. It was during the First Intifada that Hamas (Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya – Islamic Resistance Movement) emerged publicly as an Islamist alternative to the secular PLO, advocating armed resistance and rooted in the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The Second Intifada, beginning in late 2000, was significantly more violent than the first, particularly in Gaza. It involved frequent armed clashes, suicide bombings carried out by Hamas and other militant groups against Israeli civilians, and large-scale Israeli military operations, incursions, and targeted assassinations within the Strip, leading to high casualties and widespread destruction.
The Oslo Accords and the Palestinian Authority
The Oslo Accords of 1993 designated the Gaza Strip (along with Jericho in the West Bank) as the first area where the newly established Palestinian Authority (PA), led by Yasser Arafat and the returning PLO leadership, would assume self-governing functions. The PA took over administrative responsibility for most of the Strip, although Israel retained control over borders, airspace, territorial waters, and the Jewish settlements. Hopes were high initially, but the PA struggled with governance challenges, corruption, and the ongoing conflict and occupation constraints.
Israeli Disengagement (2005)
In 2005, under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Israel implemented a unilateral "Disengagement Plan". This involved the dismantling of all 21 Israeli settlements within the Gaza Strip and the withdrawal of the Israeli military forces that had been permanently stationed inside the territory since 1967. While the withdrawal ended the permanent physical presence of Israeli soldiers and settlers inside Gaza, Israel maintained control over Gaza's borders (except the Rafah crossing with Egypt), airspace, and sea access, leading Palestinians and many international bodies to argue that Gaza remained effectively occupied territory in a different form.
Hamas Takeover, Blockade, and Conflicts
The period following disengagement was marked by internal Palestinian political turmoil. In the January 2006 Palestinian legislative elections, Hamas won a surprise victory over the long-dominant Fatah party. This led to a political standoff, international sanctions against the Hamas-led government, and escalating tensions between Fatah and Hamas security forces. In June 2007, after a brief but violent conflict, Hamas forcibly seized control of the Gaza Strip from the Fatah-dominated PA forces.
In response to the Hamas takeover and citing security concerns, particularly ongoing rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel, Israel significantly tightened its restrictions on the movement of goods and people into and out of the Strip. Egypt also largely sealed its border crossing at Rafah. This comprehensive land, air, and sea closure became known as the blockade. The blockade, which has varied in intensity but remained largely in place since 2007, has had devastating humanitarian and economic consequences for Gaza's population, severely limiting access to essential goods, materials for reconstruction, fuel, and medical supplies, crippling the economy, and restricting travel for work, education, or healthcare.
Since the Hamas takeover and the imposition of the blockade, Gaza has experienced recurrent rounds of intense conflict with Israel. Major escalations occurred in 2008-2009 (Operation Cast Lead), 2012 (Operation Pillar of Defense), 2014 (Operation Protective Edge), 2021, and a particularly devastating war beginning in October 2023 following a large-scale Hamas attack on Israel. These conflicts typically involve rocket attacks from Gaza towards Israeli towns and massive Israeli air and ground operations in Gaza, resulting in thousands of casualties (disproportionately Palestinian), widespread destruction of homes and infrastructure in the densely populated Strip, and repeated humanitarian crises. This cycle – disengagement followed by Hamas control, blockade, and repeated, devastating wars – has defined Gaza's trajectory since 2005, creating a unique and acute situation of isolation, poverty, and endemic conflict, distinct even from the ongoing occupation in the West Bank. Gaza's extremely young population, with roughly 75% under the age of 25 , faces bleak prospects under these conditions, lacking opportunities and living under constant pressure, which fuels despair and perpetuates the cycle of conflict.