Key Facts about Gaza Strip

About Gaza Strip:

• The Gaza Strip is a self-governing Palestinian territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
• The territory takes its name from Gaza, its main city. 
• It forms the smaller of the two Palestinian territories — the other being the West Bank. 
• Bordering Countries: It is bordered by Israel to the north and east and Egypt to the south.
• Size: It is a 41km (25-mile) long and 10km-wide territory.
• Climate: It has a temperate climate, with mild winters, and dry, hot summer.
• Population:
  • It is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. More than 2 million people live in the territory. 
  • The population is predominantly Palestinian, with the majority being Sunni Muslims. 
• History:
  • After Israel declared its statehood in 1948, Egypt controlled the Gaza Strip for nearly two decades
  • Israel then gained control of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank after its victory in the 1967 Six-Day War against its Arab neighbours. 
  • For the next 38 years, Israel controlled the strip and enabled the construction of 21 Jewish settlements.
  • In 2005, under international and domestic pressure, Israel withdrew around 9,000 Israeli settlers and its military forces from the Gaza Strip, leaving the enclave to be governed by the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority, which also controlled parts of the occupied West Bank.
• Who controls it now?
  • Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist organisation, currently governs the Gaza Strip.
  • It took control in 2007 after it won elections there the year before. Since then, no elections have been held.
  • Hamas, unlike the Palestinian Authority, doesn't recognize Israel's right to exist.
  • Israel has maintained a land, air and sea blockade on Gaza since 2007.