Gaza Strip
Self-governing Palestinian territory next to Egypt and Israel / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Gaza Strip (/ˈɡɑːzə/ ⓘ;[10] Arabic: قِطَاعُ غَزَّةَ Qiṭāʿ Ġazzah [qɪˈtˤɑːʕ ˈɣaz.za]), or simply Gaza, is a polity and the smaller of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the West Bank). On the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, Gaza is bordered by Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the east and north.
Gaza Strip قطاع غزة | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Location of the Gaza Strip (in red) Detailed map of the Gaza Strip UN OCHA detailed map, September 2023 | |
| Status |
|
| Capital | Gaza City 31°30′53″N 34°27′15″E |
| Largest city | Rafah[lower-alpha 4][7] |
| Official languages | Arabic |
| Ethnic groups | Palestinian Arabs |
| Religion |
|
| Demonym(s) | Gazan Palestinian |
| Government | |
• Leader | Yahya Sinwar |
| Area | |
• Total | 365 km2 (141 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• 2022 estimate | 2,375,259[8] |
• Density | 6,507/km2 (16,853.1/sq mi) |
| Currency | Israeli new shekel Egyptian pound[9] |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (Palestine Standard Time) |
| UTC+3 (Palestine Summer Time) | |
| Calling code | +970 |
| ISO 3166 code | PS |
| |
The territory came into being when it was controlled by Egypt during the 1948 Arab–Israeli war, and became a refuge for Palestinians who fled or were expelled during the 1948 Palestine war.[11][12] Later, during the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel captured and occupied the Gaza Strip, initiating its decades-long military occupation of the Palestinian territories.[11][12] The mid-1990s Oslo Accords established the Palestinian Authority (PA) as a limited governing authority, initially led by the secular party Fatah until that party's electoral defeat in 2006 to the Sunni Islamic Hamas. Hamas would then take over the governance of Gaza in a battle the next year,[13][14][15][16] subsequently warring with Israel.
In 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew its military forces from Gaza, dismantled its settlements, and implemented a temporary blockade of Gaza. The blockade became indefinite after the 2007 Hamas takeover, supported by Egypt through restrictions on its land border with Gaza.[17] Despite the Israeli disengagement, the United Nations (UN), the International Committee of the Red Cross, and many human-rights organizations continue to consider Gaza to be held under Israeli military occupation, due to what they consider Israel's effective military control over the territory; Israel disputes that it occupies the territory.[18][19][20] The current blockade prevents people and goods from freely entering or leaving the territory, leading to Gaza often being called an "open-air prison."[21][22] The UN, as well as at least 19 human-rights organizations, have urged Israel to lift the blockade.[23] Israel has justified its blockade on the strip with wanting to stop flow of arms, but Palestinians and rights groups say it amounts to collective punishment and exacerbates dire living conditions,[24] which have resulted in an ongoing famine.[25]
The Gaza Strip is 41 kilometres (25 miles) long, from 6 to 12 km (3.7 to 7.5 mi) wide, and has a total area of 365 km2 (141 sq mi).[26][27] With around 2 million Palestinians[28] on approximately 365 km2 (141 sq mi) of land, Gaza has one of the world's highest population densities.[29][30] More than 70% of Gaza's population are refugees or descendents of refugees, half of whom are under the age of 18.[31] Sunni Muslims make up most of Gaza's population, with a Palestinian Christian minority. Gaza has an annual population growth rate of 1.99% (2023 est.), the 39th-highest in the world.[32] Gaza's unemployment rate is among the highest in the world, with an overall unemployment rate of 46% and a youth unemployment rate of 70%.[17][33] Despite this, the area's 97% literacy rate is higher than that of nearby Egypt, while youth literacy is 88%.[34] Gaza has throughout the years been seen as a source of Palestinian nationalism and resistance.[35][36][37]