Gaza (
Arabic:
غزة
Ġazzah,
Arabic pronunciation: also referred to as
Gaza City, is a Palestin city in the
Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the
Palestinian territories. Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,
[4] Gaza has been dominated by several different peoples and empires throughout its history. The
Philistines made it a part of their
pentapolis after the
Ancient Egyptians had ruled it for nearly 350 years. Under the
Romans and later the
Byzantines, Gaza experienced relative peace and its port flourished. In 635 AD, it became the first city in
Palestine to be conquered by the
Rashidun army and quickly developed into a centre of
Islamic law. However, by the time the
Crusaders invaded the city, it was in ruins. In later centuries, Gaza experienced several hardships—from
Mongol raids to floods and locusts, reducing it to a village by the 16th century when it was incorporated into the
Ottoman Empire. During the first half of Ottoman rule, the Ridwan dynasty controlled Gaza and under them the city went through an age of great commerce and peace.
Throughout its history, Gaza has never been self-ruled or independent. Gaza fell to
British forces during
World War I, becoming a part of the
British Mandate of Palestine. As a result of the
1948 Arab-Israeli War,
Egypt administered the newly formed Gaza Strip territory and several improvements were undertaken in the city. Gaza was captured by
Israel in the
Six-Day War in 1967, but in 1993, the city was transferred to the Palestinian National Authority. Following the 2006 election,
conflict broke out as the
Fatah party seemed unwilling to transfer power to
Hamas, resulting in Hamas taking power in Gaza by force. Since then Gaza has been under a
blockade by Israel. Egypt had also been involved in the blockade of Gaza until the
2011 Egyptian revolution.