The territory known as the Gaza Strip is located in the Middle East and borders Israel and Egypt and is located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.
This place has a small area, specifically 365 square kilometers. Its widest part is 12 km and the two ends of the Strip are 42 km apart.
The conflict between Palestinians and Israelis is especially intense in the Gaza Strip
More than two million Palestinians live in the Gaza Strip and together with the West Bank they make up the Palestinian territories. The remote origin of the conflict must be placed before Jesus Christ as a consequence of the religious and cultural differences between Jews and Palestinian Islamists. The Jews had to be exiled from their territory and this migratory movement is known as the Jewish diaspora.
At the end of the 19th century the Zionist movement promoted the creation of a Jewish home in Palestine and during World War II thousands of Jews emigrated to the territory of Palestine. When the Jews proclaimed the state of Israel in 1948, neighboring Arab countries expressed their rejection and declared war on Israel.
As a result of the war, the Israelis conquered most of the Palestinian territory and thousands of Palestinians were displaced to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
This situation was the beginning of tensions between Palestinians and Israelis for decades, but in 1993 the Oslo Treaty was signed between the two peoples. The agreement reached supposed a cession by both parts: the Palestinians recognized the state of Israel and the Israelis recognized the Palestinian National Authority (PLO) to govern in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
The pact has not prevented all confrontations between the two peoples. In this regard, the Gaza Strip has been bombed several times by the Israeli army.
Daily life in the Gaza Strip
This territory is subject to a strong blockade by the Israeli government. From Israel's point of view, the blockade has a justification: the Hamas movement controls the Strip and this movement is considered by the Israelis as a terrorist group. In any case, the Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip are in very precarious conditions: high levels of unemployment and poverty, food and fuel shortages, electricity cuts and lack of schools and hospitals.
In recent years the civilian population of the Gaza Strip can survive through the action of NGOs and the help of the international community.
Photo: Google Maps
