 The Gaza Strip, whose boundaries were demarcated in the 1950 cease-fire agreement by the United Nations following the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, remained under the Egyptian control until 1967. The region was occupied by Israel after the 1967 war and gained partial independence in 2005 after 38 years of Israeli occupation.
Although the Israeli occupation apparently ended, the independence of Gaza has not been recognized internationally, and borders, territorial waters and airspace of Gaza have been so far controlled by Israel.
About 900,000 of 1.5 million people live scattered in eight refugee camps. Refugees are provided with health, education services and other humanitarian equipments by the UN, international aid organizations and Arab countries.
 There was an airport in the region in the 1990s; however, following the Israeli bombardment and blockade after the 2000 Intifada the airport was closed to flights. Gaza is blockaded from the sea, and Egypt and Israel are its only doors to the world.
Gaza is where the anti-Israeli opposition is very powerful and harbors many armed resistance groups; therefore, Israel and its supporters consider the region as the source of all problems. Gaza is on the list of regions where the U.S. has launched a global “fight against terror.”
|
