A historic crossroads between Egypt and the Levant, the Gaza oasis only became “the Gaza Strip” in 1949, after the war between Israel and the Arab countries. It is then the only Palestinian territory not joining either Israel or Jordan. Its status continued to evolve: in 1967, it was occupied by the Jewish state following the Six-Day War.
This period of occupation led to a rise in the standard of living of Gazans, many of whom were employed in Israeli factories and agricultural cooperatives. But it also prevented the development of the region, which remained very dependent on its imposing neighbor, including after the Israeli withdrawal in 2005 and its recognition as Palestinian territory – the other being the West Bank.
Deleterious situation
The Palestinian National Authority tried to develop economic activity and infrastructure in the region, but the bombings during the second Intifada (2000), then the international embargo imposed from 2006 reduced these hopes to nothing. The impossibility of importing essential goods has also favored the development of a significant underground economy with Egypt.
The situation in Gaza remains deleterious: devoid of natural resources, it suffers from a chronic shortage of water and fuel. Industrial activity is almost non-existent and agriculture survives. Unemployment affects half the population, one of the worst performances in the world, including three quarters of young people. Around 40% of the population is under 14 years old.
6 times the density of Ile-de-France
Two thirds of the inhabitants depend on international humanitarian aid. The same proportion lives below the poverty line. Gaza also has one of the highest population densities in the world: 6,000 inhabitants per square kilometer, equivalent to that of the “hive” of Hong Kong and six times that of Ile-de-France.
The Palestinian territory has already experienced its share of misfortunes: Hamas and Israel have clashed ten times with rockets in recent years, with the IDF even going so far as to carry out a two-week ground incursion in 2009. A dozen soldiers Israelis had been killed, as well as 1,300 Hamas fighters. Despite this turbulent history, the region has never experienced trauma equivalent to that of recent days.