Gaza
Etymology
According to Zev Vilnay, the name "Gaza," from the Arabic Ġazza, originally derives from the Canaanite/Hebrew root for "strong" (ʕZZ), and was introduced to Arabic by way of the Hebrew, ʕazzā, i.e. "the strong one (f.)"; cpr. English stronghold. According to Mariam Shahin, the Canaanites gave Gaza its name, the Ancient Egyptians called it Gazzat ("prized city"), and the Arabs often refer to it as Gazzat Hashim, in honour of Hashim, the great-grandfather of Muhammed, who is allegedly buried in Gaza City, according to Islamic lore.| Gaza | ||
 Skyline of Gaza | ||
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| Arabic | غزة | |
| Founded in | 15th Century BCE | |
| Government | City (from 1993) | |
| Also Spelled | Ghazzah (officially) Gaza City (unofficially) | |
| Governorate | Gaza | |
| Coordinates | 31°31′N 34°27′E / 31.517, 34.45Coordinates: 31°31′N 34°27′E / 31.517, 34.45 | |
| Population | 409,680 (2006) | |
| Jurisdiction | 45,000 dunams (45 km²) | |
| Head of Municipality | Majid Abu Ramadan | |
Palestinian National Authority
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. The Israeli forces left Gaza, leaving a new Palestinian National Authority to administer and police the city, along with most 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 most West Bank towns. The agreement also established an elected 88-member Palestinian National Council, which held its inaugural session in Gaza in March 1996.[citation needed]
On September 12, 2005 the Israeli cabinet formally declared an end to military rule. Israel also withdrew from the Philadelphi Route, a narrow strip adjacent to the border with Egypt, after Egypt agreed to secure its side of the border. Under the Oslo Accords, the Philadelphi Route was to remain under Israeli control to prevent arms smuggling. With Egypt agreeing to patrol its side of the border, it was hoped that this objective would be achieved. Hamas won a surprise victory in the Palestinian elections in early 2006. Since then, it has been engaged in a violent power struggle with Fatah. In 2007, Hamas violently overthrew Fatah forces in the Gaza Strip and its members were dismissed from the PNA government as a result. Currently, Hamas has de facto control of the area. In response to continued Qassam rocket attacks launched by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, from civilian population centers in the Gaza Strip, Israel has bombarded originating attack sites in Gaza and nearby cities in the Gaza strip, culminating in June 2006 in an air-and-ground assault on Gaza code-named "Summer Rains". The European Union and the United Nations have called Israel's actions "disproportionate", but also demand that Hamas halt rocket attacks on Israel.
A human rights coalition charged March 6, 2008 that the humanitarian situation in Gaza had reached its worst point since Israel occupied the territory in the 1967 Six-Day War. On December 27-28, 2008 Israel commenced air strikes against Hamas infrastructure in Gaza that has claimed more than 770 people to date. The victims includes Hamas security forces and civilians, in the latest military excursion codenamed Operation Cast Lead. Israel stated the strikes were in response to recent rocket fire from Palestinian militants and Palestinians stated that rocket fires were in response to Israel Siege of Gaza strip. On January 3rd, 2009, Israeli tanks and infantry invaded Gaza with air support from gunships. Israel vowed to eliminate Hamas control of the region. Palestine have stated in the past that Israel must stop enforcing the blockade on Gaza, as it considered a hostile military action on its territory.
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