Gaza Strip

A 365 km² coastal enclave on the Mediterranean, Gaza has been under Hamas governance since 2007 and Israeli/Egyptian blockade. Home to 2.3 million people before the October 2023 war, it became the site of the most intensive urban conflict in the 21st century.

The Gaza Strip borders Israel to the north and east, Egypt to the south, and the Mediterranean to the west. It was administered by Egypt from 1948, occupied by Israel in 1967, and partially handed to the Palestinian Authority in 1994. Hamas seized control from the PA in 2007. The blockade imposed since then — restricting movement of people and goods — created chronic unemployment exceeding 50% before the 2023 war.