The Gaza Strip has been under heavy Israeli shelling for the past five days following a deadly attack by the militant group Hamas, which human rights groups say is collective punishment for the Palestinian enclave’s 2.3 million residents. There is.
The Gaza Strip is on the brink of a humanitarian crisis, with hospitals overwhelmed with casualties and under complete lockdown after Israel tightened its 16-year siege of the area.
More than 1,000 Palestinians were killed as Israel vowed revenge for Saturday’s attacks that left at least 1,200 of its citizens dead.
What do we know about Gaza?
With 2.3 million people living on 365 square kilometers (141 square miles) of land, the Gaza Strip is considered one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Its population density is 5,500 people per square kilometer (14,245 people per square mile), in stark contrast to Israel’s approximately 400 people per square kilometer (1,035 people per square mile).
The overwhelming majority of Gaza’s population is young, with 65 percent under the age of 24, with a median age of 18 for both men and women.
Israel’s 16-year land, air and sea blockade has crippled the economy and severely restricted the movement of its citizens in and out of the enclave.
Gaza residents require special permission to cross into Israel and Egypt. This is usually for emergency treatment, but it is very difficult to obtain.
The enclave also has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world at 45%. Access to education and health care is also lacking due to years of Israeli airstrikes on schools and hospitals.
Palestinians and activists call it the world’s largest “open-air prison” because of the Israeli blockade.
Muslims make up the majority of the population, with a minority Christian community.
More than 60 percent of Gaza’s residents are refugees from what is now Israel. When Israel declared independence in 1948, more than 750,000 Palestinians were ethnically cleansed from their homes by Israeli militias.
What does total siege mean?
Israel on Monday announced a “total blockade” of the Gaza Strip, including a ban on food, water, fuel and electricity supplies.
Most of Gaza’s electricity comes from Israeli transmission lines and some is produced at Gaza power plants, which also source their fuel from Israel.
Internet connectivity in the region has been weak since Saturday, according to NetBlocks data.
The Israeli military has mobilized 300,000 soldiers around the Strip in preparation for a possible ground invasion. Israel last invaded Gaza in 2014.
Where is Gaza?
Gaza, a 10 km (6 mi) by 41 km (25 mi) area located in the Mediterranean Sea, is one of two Palestinian territories, the other being the occupied West Bank. .
It takes an hour to drive from Rafah in the south to Beit Hanoun in the north.
The enclave is divided into five governorates: North Gaza, Gaza City, Deir El Bala, Khan Younis, and Rafah.
Gaza is separated from Israel by a separation wall and has a border with Egypt to the south.
Who controls the Gaza Strip?
Gaza is considered an occupied territory, with Israel in full control of its borders, airspace and territorial waters, despite the formal withdrawal of troops and settlers from the enclave in 2005. Israel occupied the enclave along with other Palestinian territories (East Jerusalem and West Jerusalem). Bank – During the 1967 Six Day War.
The current boundaries of the Gaza Strip were determined by the Armistice Agreement between Egypt and Israel on February 24, 1949. Until 1967, Gaza was under Egyptian control.
In the 2006 elections, Hamas defeated the Fatah party, which runs the Palestinian Authority (PA). The group captured Gaza in 2007 after months of fighting with Fatah. The PA signed the Oslo Accords with Israel in 1993 and rules the West Bank.
Hamas and other Palestinian resistance groups based in Gaza have previously carried out attacks against Israel, resulting in bloody Israeli attacks on the area.
Since 2005, Israel has carried out at least six major military attacks in the Gaza Strip, with 2014 being the most brutal. More than 2,000 Palestinians have been killed in seven weeks of Israeli attacks.
What are the recent conflicts about?
Hamas does not recognize Israel, wants Palestinian independence based on 1967 borders, and demands that Israel lift its blockade of the enclave and end its occupation of Palestinian territory.
Israel continues to expand Palestinian settlements in violation of the 1993 Oslo Accords, which Hamas did not sign. Palestinians are concerned that their prospects for a future state are diminishing due to settlement expansion.
Tensions have increased in recent years due to the rise of far-right politicians and settler violence. Palestinian groups based in Gaza retaliated with rockets, sparking a flare-up of violence with Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government has further escalated tensions with its pro-settler policies.
Even before Saturday’s violence erupted, more than 200 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli forces this year, making it the deadliest year on record. Since then, at least 1,055 more Palestinians have been killed and 1,200 Israelis have died as of the fifth day of fighting.
