Gaza

The Gaza Strip, often referred to simply as Gaza, is a small coastal territory in the Southern Levant that is north of Egypt's Sinai, East of the Mediterranean Sea, and South-West of Israel.

The long-standing ruler of the Gaza Strip is Hamas, which is recognized as a terrorist organization by most Western states and international governmental organizations. Under Hamas, Gaza has been in a state of conflict with Israel. Several other terrorist organizations reside in Gaza and take part in the hostilities, including the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigade, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, ISIS offshoots and others.

Gaza is home to 1.5 million Palestinians, largely Sunni Muslim, some who identify as refugees or descendants of refugees from territory now belonging to Israel. Gaza has a very young population, but is very impoverished due to mismanagement, corruption, conflict, and the redirection of taxes and financial aid to warfare.

Due to the conflict between Gaza and Israel, the territory has been under blockade since 2007, though it shares one border and crossing, Rafah, with Egypt. A significant amount of smuggling occurs on this border, often through tunnels.

Gaza is surrounded by defensive structures created by the Israel Defense Forces to counter Gazan terrorist attacks. This includes a sensor fence that rings the perimeter, an underground barrier to prevent and detect tunneling, and a naval barrier to prevent naval frogman infiltration.

Rockets fired from Gaza have presented a major strategic challenge to Israel. Military infrastructure runs through Gaza's cities, including rocket infrastructure. Launch sites, munitions storage, command & control centers, bunkers and more can be found throughout Gaza, much of it underground. In the past, Hamas leaders have claimed that 500 kilometers of tunnel systems are laced throughout the Strip.

Gaza was part of the British Mandate after the territory was relinquished by the UK from the Ottoman Empire after World War I. After the Mandate dissolved, it was seized during Israel's War of Independence by Egypt, and ruled by the Egyptian puppet All-Palestine Government. During the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel captured the territory, and it was not returned along with other Egyptian holdings after the two made peace in the 1970s. 21 Israeli settlements were established within Gaza, but in 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew from the Strip. In 2006, the Palestinians held legislative elections, but when Hamas won, there was a civil war, and Hamas seized full control of Gaza.

From the disengagement onwards, Hamas and other terrorist organizations increased terrorist attacks against Israelis, and several operations have been fought to quell Gazan attacks, including 2008's Cast Lead, 2011's Pillar of Defense, 2014's Protective Edge, and 2021's Guardian of the Walls.

Pro-Hamas extremist Islamist preacher begins UK speaking tour despite calls for ban

One of the extremist's first posts after the October 7 Hamas massacre was on October 8, 2023, when he tweeted: "The people of Gaza finally punched back."

JANUARY 4, 2026|ByMATHILDA HELLER

People hold placards and flags during a demonstration in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, ahead of the October 7 attack anniversary, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Dublin, Ireland October 5, 2024.

Hamas members stand at the funeral of Marwan Issa, a senior Hamas deputy military commander who was killed in an Israeli airstrike during the conflict between Israel and Hamas, in the central Gaza Strip, February 7, 2025.

PA supports Hamas disarmament, 'no room for Gaza militias,' Fatah leader tells 'Post' - exclusive

"The issue of disarmament should be discussed and agreed upon by Palestinian factions under the auspices of Arab states, especially Egypt," said the Fatah leader.

JANUARY 4, 2026|ByDANA BEN-SHIMON

Palestinian worshippers attend a memorial service at the Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church, to honor those killed during the war, including victims of the 2023 Israeli strike on the church, in Gaza City, October 24, 2025.

Gaza’s tiny Christian community struggles to survive after war

A population that once numbered in the thousands has dwindled sharply, with the remaining families are split among three active churches.

JANUARY 4, 2026|ByAHMED ABD AL-SALAM/THE MEDIA LINE

A plume of smoke billows following an Israeli strike in Gaza City on October 29, 2025.

IDF destroys Hamas shaft in northern Gaza with loaded 'ready to fire' rocket aimed at Sderot

The military slammed the terror organization for breaching the ceasefire, noting that loading the launcher is a violation of the US-brokered agreement.

JANUARY 3, 2026|BySAM HALPERN

Winning the war, losing the world: Israel’s battle is Diaspora's vulnerability - opinion

Israel has crushed Hamas militarily, but the war leaves Jews abroad more exposed to antisemitism, and Israel’s global standing has been crushed.

JANUARY 3, 2026ByJEREMY LEVIN

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes a government meeting on the Gaza deal, with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in attendance, in Jerusalem, October 9, 2025

Iran on the brink: Could 47 years of oppression finally end? - opinion

All around Iran, citizens rise against tyranny, taking a risk for freedom and a better future.

JANUARY 3, 2026ByCOOKIE SCHWAEBER-ISSAN

Iranians protest on a main street in Tehran, December 30, 2025

How Israel's defense-tech ecosystem reshapes the battlefield - and the Start-Up Nation

TECH AFFAIRS: What was once a pipeline of veterans from elite units like 8200 founding cybersecurity start-ups has evolved into a full-scale defense-tech ecosystem.

JANUARY 3, 2026ByANNA AHRONHEIM

$DELIVERED TO the IDF late last year, the Iron Beam system marks a historic milestone – the world’s first operational laser defense platform capable of neutralizing rockets, drones, and mortars at a fraction of the cost of traditional interceptors.$

Tom Shoval’s 'A Letter to David' to open Israel Film Festival in LA, features new ending for 2026

A Letter to David, directed by Tom Shoval, the winner of this year’s Ophir Award for Best Documentary, will open the 37th Israel Film Festival in Los Angeles next month.

JANUARY 3, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN

Why Israel has suppressed its legal narrative on the war for two years - exclusive

LEGAL AFFAIRS: While the record is problematic, it should be noted that Israel is far from having abandoned the playing field entirely.

JANUARY 2, 2026ByYONAH JEREMY BOB

‘WHY HAS Israel left the legal playing field primarily to its critics?’ the writer asks. Here, the International Court of Justice bench sits empty ahead of the case on Israel’s humanitarian obligations to Palestinians in Gaza, in the Hague, Netherlands in April.

Turkish President Erdogan to speak to Trump on Gaza, Russia-Ukraine war

Erdogan also said Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will attend a meeting of the "Coalition of the Willing," a group of nations backing Ukraine, in Paris in coming days.

JANUARY 2, 2026ByREUTERS, JAMES GENN

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan walks after speaking to the media, at the end of the G20 Leaders' Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, November 23, 2025

The journalistic mistake that softens Hamas and humanizes the wolf - opinion

Targeted language promotes certain feelings and thoughts. When Hamas is referred to as a militant Palestinian group, it almost evokes sympathy against the backdrop of the war ruins in Gaza.

JANUARY 2, 2026ByAFSHIN ELLIAN

Members of Hamas ride on a truck as they display a rocket during an anti-Israel rally in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip May 28, 2021

Israel’s Doctors Without Borders decision is overdue, security comes first - editorial

The government has a clear stance. Gaza is a war zone run by Hamas, and humanitarian access can be exploited.

JANUARY 2, 2026ByJPOST EDITORIAL

Members of MSF, Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), carry banners and flags during a protest demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, at Martyrs' Square, downtown Beirut, Lebanon, December 4, 2023.

FOZ founder Mike Evans tells Netanyahu evangelicals are ‘overwhelmingly united’ in Israel support

Netanyahu framed the relationship as historically decisive, telling the group: “You are representatives of the Christian Zionists who made Jewish Zionism possible.”

JANUARY 1, 2026ByTHE MEDIA LINE STAFF

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a press conference with US President Donald Trump (not pictured) after meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, US, December 29, 2025.

Somaliland denies trading recognition with Israel for accepting Gazans

Last week, Israel became the first country to recognize the independence of Somaliland, angering international powers who bemoaned the move at the United Nations Security Council.

JANUARY 1, 2026ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD

Residents wave Somaliland flags as they gather to celebrate Israel's announcement recognising Somaliland's statehood in downtown Hargeisa, on December 26, 2025.

How Mira Nair and Mahmood Mamdani’s politics shaped New York City’s new mayor

Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist with a long track record of pro-Palestinian activism, has said he counts his father among his political inspirations.

JANUARY 1, 2026ByGRACE GILSON/JTA

New York City Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani (2nd R) celebrates alongside his wife Rama Duwaji (2nd L), his parents Mahmood Mamdani (L) and Mira Nair during an election night event at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater in Brooklyn, New York on November 4, 2025.