On the 4th (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump announced a plan for the United States to seize control of the Palestinian Gaza Strip and forcibly relocate its residents, placing the Gaza Strip, often referred to as "the powder keg of the Middle East," at the center of controversy. The future of the Gaza Strip, which was expected to return to its pre-war routine following a ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian armed faction Hamas, has also become uncertain.
◇'The powder keg of the Middle East' that has faced conflict for 70 years
The Gaza Strip, stretching approximately 40 km north to south along the Mediterranean coast on the western side of Palestinian territory, is part of Palestinian land along with the West Bank and East Jerusalem. This area, roughly 140 square miles (about 360㎢) in size, is bordered by Egypt to the south and Israel to the north and east. Since Hamas, which has governed Gaza, attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, the Israeli military has continued to retaliate for over a year, making the Gaza Strip the focal point of the Israel-Hamas war.
Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip, originated as the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood following the First Intifada (the Palestinian residents' struggle for independence against Israel) in 1987. In the 2006 Palestinian elections, the armed group Hamas, which has emphasized "armed resistance against Israel," defeated the Palestinian Authority (PA), effectively taking control of the Gaza Strip. From this point on, Israeli oppression of the Gaza Strip began in earnest.
The Gaza Strip has been "the powder keg of the Middle East," facing conflict for approximately 70 years. It also has a history of multiple changes in ruling authorities over the decades. Once part of the Ottoman Empire, the Gaza Strip was under British rule from 1918 to 1948 and then under the governance of Egypt from 1948 to 1967. However, during the Third Middle East War in 1967, Israel seized control of the Gaza Strip from Egypt, and for the next 38 years, it remained under Israeli rule.
After occupying the Gaza Strip, Israel built 21 Jewish settlements and relocated Jews into the area. Until the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, protests, riots, and bombings, including the First Intifada, were frequent in the Gaza Strip. Although the Gaza Strip seemed to stabilize when Israel withdrew its military and civilians and transferred control to the Palestinian Authority in 2005, it fell back into chaos as Israel began erecting sophisticated security barriers along the Gaza Strip border starting in 2007.
The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 5th that "the Israeli military has blocked most aid to the Gaza Strip and has established fortified checkpoints in the central Nezarim corridor, thereby partitioning the territory," adding that "Israel's extensive blockade of the Gaza Strip has faced criticism from human rights organizations and the United Nations. The International Committee of the Red Cross has claimed that Israel's blockade violates the Geneva Conventions, but Israel has ignored this."
◇In ruins from the Israel-Hamas war
Before Hamas attacked Israel two years ago, approximately 2.2 million people resided in the Gaza Strip. According to UNICEF and United Nations relief agencies, about 40% of the population in the Gaza Strip is under 15 years old, and around 1.6 million residents are Palestinian refugees. These individuals are descendants of those who were forcibly displaced from areas that now belong to Israel when the state was declared in 1948.
The Israeli non-governmental organization Gisha assessed that until the Israel-Hamas war, the Gaza Strip was "one of the most densely populated areas in the world." The area of the Gaza Strip is twice that of Washington, D.C., yet its population is more than three times larger. Due to the high population density, casualties during the war were significant. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, at least 47,540 people have died, and 111,618 have been injured in the Gaza Strip during the conflict.
Having endured about 15 months of war, the Gaza Strip is now in ruins. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the Israeli military has destroyed or damaged approximately 436,000 dwellings, accounting for about 92% of all housing in the Gaza Strip. Additionally, around 80% of all commercial facilities and 68% of the road network have been destroyed or damaged. The collapse of essential infrastructure has left about 1 million residents without even basic sanitation.
WP noted that "videos and photographs taken in the Gaza Strip show housing blocks turned into piles of broken concrete and reinforced steel, with many cases having human remains buried beneath them," adding that "still, when a ceasefire allowed thousands of Palestinians to return north last month, many expressed a desire to return to their war-destroyed homes to reunite with relatives and begin the reconstruction process."