The Gaza Strip: A key point in the Israeli- Palestinian conflict By Al Jazeera, adapted by Newsela staff on 07.05.17 Word Count 1,490 Level 1050L Palestinian children fasten a flag near fishing boats as they join the call for an end to the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip during a protest in Gaza City's port, May 20, 2009. Israeli restrictions, which are enforced by the Israeli navy, limit Gaza's fishermen to fish within 3 miles of the shore. Photo by: AP Photo/Khalil Hamra The Gaza Strip is frequently in the news. Home to 2 million Palestinians, the small strip of land is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. It has been sometimes described as "the world's largest open-air prison." Gaza is a small Palestinian territory that was occupied by Israel after the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. Bordered by Israel and Egypt on the coast of the Mediterranean, the strip is roughly 140 square miles about the size of Detroit. Gaza was once part of the region Palestine. Then, in 1948, the state of Israel was created. In a violent series of events, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced from their homes or fled the fighting. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1
Gaza was captured by Egypt during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and remained under Egyptian control until 1967. At that time, in a war with the neighboring Arab countries, Israel seized the remaining Palestinian territories. It occupied Gaza as well as the Palestinian territories known as the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Hard To Move In And Out Of Gaza This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 2
Gaza is just one of the key pieces in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Gaza Strip is part of the territories occupied by Israel. However, when the nation of Israel was created, Gaza was divided from the West Bank and East Jerusalem areas. Israel has made many restrictions that further divide the Palestinian territories. Israel has been blocking off the Gaza Strip from nearby areas since 2007. Israel controls Gaza's airspace and territorial waters, as well as two of the three border crossing points. People move in and out of the Gaza Strip through a crossing with Israel, and a crossing with Egypt. Both Israel and Egypt have kept their borders largely shut. This has caused strife in Gaza, where people have little money and serious health problems. Israel allows people from Gaza to pass through its border only in "exceptional" situations, with an "emphasis on urgent medical cases." According to a 2016 United Nations report, the crossing at Egypt's border had been closed since October 2014. It has had 72 days of partial openings. According to the same report, in 2016, one-third of people applying to leave Gaza for medical treatment have been denied or delayed. Starting in the late 1980s with the first Palestinian uprising, or Intifada, Israel started a permit system. It required Palestinians in Gaza to get permits to work or travel through Israel or access the West Bank and East Jerusalem. These permits are difficult to get. Since 1993 in particular, at times, Palestinians in certain areas have been prevented from leaving, sometimes for months. In 1995, Israel built an electronic fence and concrete wall around the Gaza Strip. Gaza has been cut off from interacting with Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. In 2000, when the Second Intifada erupted, Israel canceled many of the travel and work permits in Gaza. In 2001, Israel bombed and demolished the Gaza airport, only three years after it opened. Israel says that its occupation of Gaza is finished because its troops and settlers were pulled from the territory. But in the eyes of many countries, Israel still has full control over Gaza. Hamas Gains Power In 2006, the group Hamas won elections and now governs Gaza. Since Hamas' rise to power in 2007, Israel has made its siege more intense because Hamas has committed terrorist attacks against Israel. Israel's blockade has cut off Palestinians from the main city, Jerusalem. Jerusalem has special hospitals, banks and other important services. This cut-off is despite the fact that the terms of the 1993 Oslo Accords stated that Israel must not divide the Palestinian territories. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 3
By blocking travel to East Jerusalem, Israel also cuts off Muslims and Christians in Gaza from getting to important places of worship there. Families have been ripped apart, and youth have been denied the opportunity to study and work outside of Gaza. Many have been denied necessary health care. Access To Education Is Limited Israel's siege on Gaza has ruined its economy. About 42 percent of Palestinians in Gaza suffer from poverty, and 58 percent of youths are unemployed. About 80 percent rely on international aid, mainly for food, according to the World Bank. More than 60 percent of Palestinians in Gaza are refugees, driven from their homes in other parts of Palestine in 1948. Many of them now live just a few miles away from their original homes and towns. The siege has led to shortages of basic items, like food and gas. It has also stopped Gaza from making jobs and money. Problems, such as access to education, health care and clean water, have gotten worse. Since the beginning of the siege, Israel has launched three long military assaults on Gaza: in 2008, 2012 and 2014. Each of these attacks has made Gaza's situation even worse. Tens of thousands of buildings have been destroyed. Rebuilding has been next to impossible. No one can get any construction materials, such as steel and cement into Gaza because Israel is blocking the borders. Over the years, Israeli missile attacks and invasions have also damaged Gaza's pipes and sewers. As a result, more than 90 percent of Gaza's water is unsafe for drinking. Plans to improve Gaza's water quality have been stopped because there is no electricity. Water projects need electricity. Without enough power to maintain existing water and sanitation systems, it is impossible to build new ones. Power cuts have had a devastating effect on Gaza's students. At home, they are forced to study by candlelight. This hurts their ability to concentrate and learn. At school, blackouts mean food rots, bathrooms are left dirty, and there is no clean water for washing hands. People with illnesses are possibly the most hurt by the siege. In 2016, Israel approved fewer than half of the requests for people to exit the Gaza Strip for medical treatment in other countries. Israel's blockade has caused a massive humanitarian crisis. The United Nations is an organization many countries belong to. It recently warned that, if the current situation continues, Gaza could be uninhabitable by the year 2020. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 4
"Liberate Palestine And Confront The Zionist Project" Founded in 1987, Hamas emerged during the First Intifada that saw a popular movement of Palestinians against the Israeli occupation. On January 25, 2006, Hamas defeated the Fatah party in parliamentary elections. Hamas then kicked Fatah out of Gaza after Fatah refused to accept the vote's results. Since 2007, Hamas has ruled the Gaza Strip and Fatah has ruled the West Bank. Fatah is led by President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas, who was elected in 2005. Hamas defines itself as a Palestinian Islamic national liberation and resistance movement. Its aim is to "liberate Palestine and confront the Zionist project." Zionism is another word for the movement that established Israel as a Jewish country. Hamas originally called for the liberation of all of historic Palestine, including present-day Israel which basically meant the destruction of Israel. However, Hamas recently released a new political document, in which the movement stated it would accept the 1967 borders as the basis for a Palestinian state, with Jerusalem as its capital and the return of refugees to their homes. Hamas does not recognize Israel as a legitimate country. Hamas has chosen armed resistance and terrorism as its method to liberate the territories. It has fired thousands of rockets from Gaza into Israel. Attacks Have Led To An Electricity Crisis After blockading Gaza in 2007, Israel launched three major, sustained assaults on Hamas in Gaza between 2008 and 2014. The assaults destroyed much of the city's infrastructure, including Gaza's only power plant. Gaza has been experiencing an electricity crisis for a decade, with most homes, businesses and hospitals receiving power intermittently at times, only up to three hours a day. Fuel needed to generate power, food, and water shortages are also a constant reality for residents of Gaza. Tens of thousands of people in Gaza, including refugees, live in tents. In 2008, after Hamas pushed Fatah out of Gaza, the first major Israeli assault on Gaza continued for 23 days. About 47,000 homes were destroyed and more than 1,440 Palestinians were killed, including at least 920 innocent civilians. In 2012, Israeli forces killed 167 Palestinians, including 87 civilians, in an eight-day assault. The death toll included 35 children and 14 women. Gaza was also heavily damaged; 126 houses were completely destroyed, and schools, mosques, cemeteries, and health and sports centers were also hit. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 5
Two years later, in 2014, over a span of 50 days, Israel killed more than 2,100 Palestinians, including 1,462 civilians and close to 500 children. Sixty-four Israeli soldiers died, and seven civilians died in Israel from Hamas rocket attacks. During the assault, about 20,000 homes were destroyed and half a million displaced from their homes. Israelis called the assault "Operation Protective Edge." This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 6