The 24-hour ultimatum for 1.1 million people to leave the northern Gaza Strip is the latest episode in the counteroffensive Israel launched against Hamas after attacks by the Palestinian Islamist militia last weekend left at least 1,400 dead. Since then, Israel has imposed a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, dumped thousands of tons of bombs on the territory and began initial land incursions to locate its kidnapped citizens as well as the rocket batteries that militia members have used to attack Israel since Saturday. “We will completely siege Gaza,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced on Monday. Israel’s retaliation affects the 2.2 million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip. Below are some key data for understanding this crucial conflict area.
Demographics
More than 2.2 million people live in the Gaza Strip, of which at least 1.5 million are refugees protected by the United Nations Palestine Refugee Agency in the Near East (UNRWA). English). From the start of the bombings to October 12 last year, there have been 340,000 displaced people, of whom more than 220,000 are housed in at least 92 UNRWA schools. Around 1.1 million residents of the north received an ultimatum this Friday to evacuate the area to the south.
The vast majority of Gazans are Sunni Muslims, descendants of Palestinians displaced by Israeli troops in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The population density per square kilometer in Gaza is one of the highest in the world (5,500 people), far higher than Israel (400) or Spain (90).
The humanitarian situation in Gaza “was already extremely serious before these hostilities; Now it will only get exponentially worse,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Those most at risk are children (under 15 years of age), who make up 40% of the population. The average age is 18 years. The latest count from the Palestinian Ministry of Health showed on Friday that around 500 children have already been killed as a result of the Israeli military intervention.
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Area
The enclave is an area of 360 square kilometers – just over half the area occupied by the city of Madrid – divided into five governorates: North Gaza, Gaza, Deir el-Balah, Khan Yunis and Rafah. The area borders Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean, although fishermen are not allowed to fish further than 5.6 kilometers (three nautical miles) due to Israel’s coastal blockade.
Before Hamas’ invasion, only two of the six border crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip were operational. One of them is the Erez Pass at the northernmost point of the strip. The opening takes place with prior authorization and for humanitarian reasons. It is often the border crossing for journalists and NGO workers. The other is Kerem Shalom, where goods are mainly moved.
On the Egyptian side, the only crossing is Rafah, which lies south of the enclave on the border with the Sinai Peninsula and has been bombed several times by Israel since the Hamas attacks. Egypt announced Monday that it would prevent a “mass exodus” of Palestinians into its territory, even as its government uses it to provide humanitarian aid that hundreds of thousands of civilians need.
politics
Hamas, the Arabic acronym for Islamic Resistance Movement, has ruled the Gaza Strip de facto since 2007 after winning an absolute majority over Fatah, the party of President Mahmoud Abbas. Its founding charter promotes the destruction of the State of Israel and the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. To achieve its goals, the Islamist fundamentalist group uses military strategies, including attacks on civilians. This weekend, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, entering part of the area closest to the enclave, over which it held control for several hours. Since the first attack, 1,400 people have been killed in Israel and another 120 Israelis are still being kidnapped by Palestinian militants.
The movement was founded in 1987, during the years of the First Intifada. Imam Ahmed Yassin, one of its founders, was a major critic of Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat, as he did not share his political ideology (secular and nationalist), which he considered “Western”. But it was not until the 1990s that Hamas’ armed wing – the Ezedin al-Qasam Brigades – emerged and it was at this time that its role in Palestinian politics was established. The organization refused to become part of the Palestinian Authority that emerged from the 1993 Oslo Accords and has since waged military campaigns on behalf of a Palestinian state.
Business
The Israeli blockade of Gaza for 16 years has prevented the import of dozens of products and affected Gazans’ employment opportunities. UNRWA estimates that eight out of ten Gazans live below the poverty line, while four out of ten are unemployed. “The blockade (…) has devastated Gaza’s economy, its ability to create jobs, become self-sufficient and continually provide basic services,” said a UN agency report published in June.
The area has no natural resources and relies largely on humanitarian aid that passes through Israel or Egypt. Unicef estimates that 85% of water distributed through pipes is unfit for human consumption. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the bombings have already affected supplies for more than 400,000 people. Gaza’s only power plant stopped operating this Wednesday due to a lack of fuel.
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