Skip to main content
CountryReports

Select language

ENEnglishESEspañolZH中文HIहिन्दीFRFrançais
Sign In

Expanded History

History of Gaza Strip

From antiquity to the modern era — the historical eras, key events, and narrative that shaped Gaza Strip.

Speed

Overview

Strategically located on the Mediterranean coastal route, ancient Gaza was a prosperous trade center and a stop on the caravan route between Egypt and Syria. The city was occupied by Egypt around the 15th century BCE. Philistines settled the area several hundred years later, and Gaza became one of their chief cities. Gaza was captured by Arabs in the AC 600s. Believed to be the site where the Prophet Muhammad’s great grandfather was buried, the city became an important Islamic center. In the 12th century, Gaza was taken by Christian Crusaders; it returned to Muslim control in 1187. The city fell to the Ottomans in the 16th century and was taken by the British during World War I (1914-1918). Following World War I, Gaza became part of the British mandate for Palestine. After the first Arab Israel war in 1948, Egypt took control over Gaza and its surrounding area. Israel occupied the city and the Gaza Strip during the 1967 Six Day War, and Gaza remained under Israeli administration for the next 27 years.

With the onset of the Palestinian uprising known as the intifada in 1987, Gaza became a center of political unrest and confrontation between Israelis and Palestinians, and economic conditions in the city worsened.

In September 1993, leaders of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) signed the Oslo Accords calling for Palestinian administration of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank town of Jericho, which was implemented in May 1994. Most of the Israeli forces left Gaza, leaving a new Palestinian Authority to administer and police the city, along with the rest of the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Authority, led by Yasser Arafat, chose Gaza as its first provincial headquarters. In September 1995, Israel and the PLO signed a second peace agreement extending the Palestinian Authority to some West Bank towns. The agreement also established an elected 88-member Palestinian Council, which held its inaugural session in Gaza in March 1996.

In August 2005, Israel withdrew 8,000 Jewish settlers from Gaza. How Gaza fares post-disengagement—economically and politically, with its 1.4m inhabitants—remains to be seen. A border-crossing deal, brokered and aided financially by the United States in November 2005, seeks to improve life for Palestinians.

Historical Eras

The major periods of {country}’s history at a glance.

  1. Ancient & Philistine Era

    1500 BCE – 636

    Egypt occupied Gaza around the 15th century BCE, establishing it as a key node on the coastal trade route between Egypt and Syria. Philistines settled the region centuries later, making Gaza one of their principal cities. The area subsequently passed through Assyrian, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine hands, each leaving lasting cultural and architectural imprints.

  2. Islamic & Crusader Period

    636 – 1516

    Arab forces captured Gaza in the 630s CE, and the city gained religious significance as the reputed burial place of the Prophet Muhammad's great-grandfather, becoming an important Islamic center. Crusaders seized Gaza in the 12th century, but Saladin restored Muslim control in 1187. The city subsequently flourished under Ayyubid and Mamluk rule as a regional administrative and commercial hub.

  3. Ottoman Rule

    1516 – 1917

    The Ottoman Empire incorporated Gaza in 1516, and the city served as a provincial center within the broader Levantine administrative structure for four centuries. Trade and agriculture sustained the local economy, though the region experienced periodic unrest and plague. British forces under General Allenby captured Gaza after fierce battles in 1917, ending Ottoman sovereignty.

  4. British Mandate

    1917 – 1948

    Following World War I, Gaza was incorporated into the British Mandate for Palestine, administered under the League of Nations framework. Rising tensions between Arab and Jewish communities intensified throughout the 1930s and 1940s, fueled by Jewish immigration and competing nationalist aspirations. The British withdrawal and the end of the Mandate in 1948 triggered the first Arab-Israeli War.

  5. Egyptian Administration & Israeli Occupation

    1948 – 1994

    Egypt took control of the Gaza Strip following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, administering it without formally annexing the territory. Israel captured Gaza during the 1967 Six-Day War and governed it for the next 27 years, establishing Jewish settlements and facing mounting Palestinian resistance. The first intifada, erupting in 1987, dramatically escalated civil unrest and gave rise to Hamas, intensifying pressure for a political resolution.

  6. Palestinian Authority & Post-Oslo

    1994 – present

    The 1993 Oslo Accords and the subsequent 1994 Cairo Agreement transferred administrative authority over Gaza to the Palestinian Authority under Yasser Arafat, marking the first Palestinian self-governance of the territory. Israel's 2005 disengagement removed all Jewish settlers and most military forces, yet Hamas seized full control of Gaza in 2007, creating a political split with the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority. The territory has since experienced recurring conflicts with Israel, severe economic restrictions, and a deepening humanitarian crisis.

Timeline Preview

The first 7 key events. View the full chronology on the timeline page.

  1. 1949

    Israel signs a series of truces with Arab countries.

    Israel signs a series of truces with Arab countries. Under the 1949 pacts, Egypt retained control of the Gaza Strip.

  2. 1967

    The Six Day War

    Israel recaptures the strip during the Arab-Israeli war of June 1967, called the Six-Day War. Israel doesn’t annex or incorporate the West Bank and Gaza into Israel proper.

  3. 1970

    One of the first Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip is Kfar Darom .

    One of the first Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip is Kfar Darom in 1970. In 1972, Netzarim is built up. The Israeli government continues to build settlements in the Gaza Strip during the 1970s and 1980s. The increasing Jewish presence ignites Palestinian activism and helps to motivate several militant groups. Riots become commonplace and confrontations between Israelis and Palestinians became more violent.

  4. 1987

    Hamas, a radical Islamic organization operating mainly in the Gaza Strip, is formed.

    Hamas, a radical Islamic organization operating mainly in the Gaza Strip, is formed.

  5. 1993

    Israel continues its plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements.

    The Oslo Accords, signed in Washington, D.C., put in place a peace process aimed at ending the rebellion and resolving the situation between the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Israeli government.

  6. 1993

    The Oslo Accords

    The Oslo Accords, signed in Washington, D.C., put in place a peace process aimed at ending the rebellion and resolving the situation between the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Israeli government. The accords inaugurated the Palestinian National Authority and called for the handover of some land to Palestinian control.

  7. 1994

    By mid-1994 Israel has withdrawn most of its troops from the Gaza Strip.

    By mid-1994 Israel has withdrawn most of its troops from the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Authority assumes administrative control of the region

View full timeline (8 events)
Back to Gaza Strip
Video LibraryCompareArticlesGlobal ContentActivitiesLessonsRecipesBlogInternet CitationGlossary