It is mentioned in the Bible as the place of Samson's death and as the burial place of one of the great-grandfathers of the Prophet Muhammad, Hashim Ibn Abd Manaf, who lived as a merchant in Gaza and died there.
It was the first city in Palestine to be conquered by Arab Caliphates.
Crusaders took control of the area from Fatimids, till regained by Saladin
By the time it came under the Ottoman Empire it was but a small village.
Gaza Strip by the partition plan of the UN, was projected to become part of an independent Arab State.
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Gaza strip population is about 2 million...
Live in just 400 square kilometers..
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However we have to remember that over 60% of the population, are refugees who fled to the territory as part of the 1948 Palestinian exodus after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War!
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Most of the refugee dwellings are not connected to the sewage system and waste water flows in open channels along roads.
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The 1948 Israeli Arab War!
Was it a war?
Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria attacked the state of Israel, leading to fighting mostly on the former territory of the British Mandate and for a short time also on the Sinai Peninsula and southern Lebanon.
Most of Arab Armies were trained by British at time of their Mandate on Palestine.
They either went late to battles or fought in wrong areas.
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Egyptian army had wrecked or faked weapons.
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Egypt was still under British Occupation.
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Lebanese troops were little, however the only troops really penetrated strategic Israeli holds....crossed into Northern Galilee... But received higher orders not to continue fighting, thus they were stuck in the spot they have invaded, and later withdrew after an armistice agreement was reached.
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As a result... Israel won...declared the State of Israel...
Palestinians were driven out from their homes and forced to flee their cities in masses..
Most of them fled to Gaza...
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Gaza Strip after 1948 fell under the control of Egypt by agreement with Israel..
When Egypt lost the war in 1967 against Israel, Israel occupied Gaza.
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The failure of the Camp David Summit (July 2000) effectively ended this process. The second Palestinian uprising, known as the al-Aqsa Intifada, has created unprecedented hardship for Palestinians, especially those living in the more impoverished Gaza Strip.
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In 2007, Hamas controlled the strip.
Israel invaded the strip, then pulled out after 22 days leaving more than 5000 homes, buildings and mosques completely destroyed and mre than 25000 homes heavily damaged.
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After that, and till today, Gaza Strip has been blockaded by Israel and Egypt.
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On 31 May 2010 Israeli naval forces seized an aid convoy of six ships known as the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla", aiming to break through the blockade.
The ships, their passengers and their cargoes were deviated to port of Ashdod.
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Next Sunday,a new fleet of “aid” ships is preparing to mount a fresh challenge to Israel’s maritime blockade of Gaza.
Iran says the ship "Infants of Gaza" is due to sail Sunday, carrying humanitarian aid and 10- pro-Palestinian activists to Gaza, including 5 local journalists.
The ship will carry 1100 tons of relief supplies.
Two other relief ships coming from Lebanon via Cyprus, one has only women passengers on-board!!
Still can not figure out why?
Some news are saying that Lebanese Government together with Hezbollah are trying to stop the two boats from sailing to Gaza...
Breaking the blockade by such peaceful means is a noble act.
But a protective plan is vitally required, so the lives of those people on-board are not in danger and the efforts do not go in vain.
Words of Anger, Challenge and Avenging Vows are not enough.
To the contrary, they can damage the Gaza and its people more...
And it is a big sin, that any country, or group or party or individual seek a political advantage out of any outcome emerging from this noble cause...
IT IS A BIG SIN.... to use Gaza and Gazans for any third party advantage.
Oh Gaza... How many sins in your name.
Sami Cherkaoui
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