CAIRO: For decades, Gaza has been at the center of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, serving as a flashpoint for political and military struggles.
Once part of British-controlled Palestine, the territory came under Egyptian administration following the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, only to be occupied by Israel in 1967 after the Six-Day War.
In 2005, Israel withdrew its settlers and military forces from Gaza, in a process known as the “Disengagement Plan,” and transferred control to the Palestinian Authority. Just two years later, however, a new chapter in the territory’s history began, one that would redefine the political dynamics of the region and deepen Gaza’s isolation.
The turning point came on June 15, 2007. In a dramatic and violent shift, Hamas, the Islamist political movement that had won the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections, seized control of Gaza, expelling the forces of the rival Fatah party in a brutal series of clashes. The fighting left 188 people dead and more than 650 wounded, marking the final rupture between the two factions.
Ismail Haniyeh, the newly appointed Hamas prime minister, solidified the movement’s grip on the territory, sidelining political rivals and assuming control of key governmental institutions.
The consequences of this takeover quickly became apparent. The rise to power of Hamas effectively split the Palestinian territories in two: The West Bank remained under the control of the Palestinian Authority, led by Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah, while Gaza became an isolated Hamas stronghold.
How we wrote it
The compelling front-page headline ‘Palestine Divided’ captured a pivotal event shaping the region’s future.
This division had profound political and humanitarian consequences. Within months, Israel imposed a strict blockade on Gaza. The aim of this was to restrict the military capabilities of Hamas, but it also constrained economic activity and impoverished the Palestinian population.
Compounded by recurring Israeli military offensives, the blockade, which remains in place 18 years later, caused widespread unemployment, poverty, and food and water insecurity among the people of Gaza.
The dire conditions prompted UN Trade and Development to publish a report in 2015 in which it warned that Gaza might be unlivable by 2020.
Efforts to bridge the divide between Hamas and Fatah repeatedly failed. The first attempt, known as the “Prisoners’ Document,” in May 2006 failed to resolve the ideological differences between the two factions. Subsequent mediation efforts, including the intervention of Qatar in October 2006 and the Saudi-brokered Makkah Agreement in February 2008, similarly faltered.
Each attempt to mediate an agreement raised hopes for unity, but every one of them ended only in a renewed sense of distrust.
Perhaps the most notable failure came in 2014, when a unity government was formed but never took full control in Gaza.
Similar setbacks occurred in 2017, and tensions rose further in 2018 when an assassination attempt targeted Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah. The Palestinian Authority accused Hamas of orchestrating the attack, and the political rift widened.
Attempts to hold the first elections in 15 years fell through in 2021, and a reconciliation agreement signed in Algeria the following year failed to achieve any lasting results.
Key Dates
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1
Withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza is completed, 38 years after capture of territory from Egypt, leaving it under the control of the Palestinian Authority.
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2
Hamas defeats Mahmoud Abbas’ long-dominant Fatah party in parliamentary elections.
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3
Hamas government sworn in, headed by Ismail Haniyeh. Fatah refuses to join. Western backers, including the US and EU, declare Hamas a terrorist organization and refuse to recognize the group as the legitimate authority.
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4
Hamas captures Israeli army conscript Gilad Shalit. Israeli responds with air raids and incursions. Shalit eventually released in 2011 in exchange for 1,027 Palestinians.
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5
Hamas seizes control of Gaza from Fatah, which remains in control of the occupied West Bank, after a series of violent clashes. Israel imposes a land, sea and air blockade on the Gaza Strip.
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6
Israel launches “Operation Protective Edge” against Gaza after Hamas kidnaps and kills three Israeli teenagers.
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7
Fatah and Hamas reach a reconciliation agreement, brokered by Egypt, after a decade of failed attempts but efforts to form a unity government stall soon after.
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8
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah survives assassination attempt during visit to northern Gaza. Fatah blames Hamas.
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9
War begins in Gaza after unprecendented attacks by Hamas on Israel, during which more than 1,200 people are killed and about 250 taken hostage.
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10
Leaders of Hamas, Fatah and other Palestinian factions sign “Beijing declaration,” an agreement to form a national unity government in the foreseeable future.
Over the years, Hamas has aligned itself with Iran and the so-called “Axis of Resistance,” a coalition that includes Hezbollah and other militant groups in the region. This alignment has fueled accusations that Hamas prioritizes foreign alliances over the well-being of the people of Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israel cites the policies of Hamas as justification for the rise of its own far-right political movements, further entrenching the cycle of violence.
One of the most contentious aspects of Hamas and its rule has been its extensive network of tunnels, originally built to smuggle goods and weapons into Gaza. Egyptian authorities accuse Hamas of using the tunnels to support militant groups operating in Sinai, particularly in the aftermath of the fall of Egypt’s government in 2011. This strained relations between Hamas and Cairo, adding another layer of geopolitical complexity to Gaza’s predicament.
Despite claims by Hamas that it seeks a political resolution to the conflict with Israel, the group’s rhetoric and military engagements suggest otherwise.
Israel has conducted several military operations against Gaza since Hamas took over the territory, culminating in the war that began in 2023. “Operation Summer Rains” in 2006 began following the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, just months after Hamas achieved its election victory.
Two years later, Israel launched a 22-day military offensive, “Operation Cast Lead,” after Hamas fired rockets at the southern Israeli town of Sderot. There was further violence in 2012, which Israel said was a response to an increase in rocket attacks from Gaza. This escalated after the killing of Ahmed Al-Jabari, head of the military wing of Hamas.
Displaced by the immense damage caused by Tel Aviv’s conflict with Hamas in the southern Gaza Strip, a Palestinian man navigates the rubble of the Hamad area, west of Khan Yunis, with his belongings. AFP
Israel’s seven-week “Operation Protective Edge” in 2014, which began after Hamas kidnapped and killed three Israeli teenagers, resulted in widespread devastation in Gaza. The operation was described by the UN at the time as “the most devastating round of hostilities in Gaza.” It has been dwarfed by the effects of the 2023 war.
The latest military confrontation began in retaliation after the unprecedented attacks by Hamas against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel’s subsequent “Al-Aqsa Flood” offensive reduced the majority of Gaza to rubble, uprooted nearly the entire population and killed more than 47,000 Palestinians.
The toll of these recurring conflicts has been staggering. Infrastructure in Gaza has been decimated repeatedly, with estimates suggesting the latest devastation could take decades to rebuild. The cost of reconstruction is projected to be between $80 billion and $200 billion.
Meanwhile, much of the population remains displaced; 70 percent of Gaza’s inhabitants are refugees, and it is estimated the most recent Israeli military action displaced about 90 percent of them.
Seventeen years after Hamas took control of Gaza, the consequences of its rule continue to shape the territory’s reality. The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that came into effect on Jan. 19 halted the violence, at least temporarily, but the underlying tensions remain unresolved.
The people of Gaza, trapped in a relentless cycle of war, displacement and economic hardship, continue to bear the brunt of this ongoing struggle.
- Hani Nasira is an Egyptian academic and political expert, and the director of the Arab Institute for Studies. He is the author of more than 23 books.
