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NEAR EAST – The order was issued on the night of Friday, October 13th. The Israeli army called for the evacuation of the northern Gaza Strip, six days after the Hamas attack from the same area on the soil of the Jewish state. Israel is giving around a million residents 24 hours to leave their homes in the north of the strip and flee – not outside, but to the south of this very small territory.
While the “complete siege” (no water or electricity) initiated by the IDF a few days ago and the numerous bombings in the enclave (see the map from the newspaper Le Monde below) have already raised fears of a complicated situation for the population of Gaza, the United Nations now fears “devastating humanitarian consequences.”
Here you will find some important information to better understand the problems concentrated in this area at the center of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Where is the Gaza Strip?
The Gaza Strip is a Palestinian territory in the Middle East. The 41 km strip of land stretches along the Mediterranean Sea and has two border states: Israel to the east and north and Egypt to the south, as you can see here the video at the top of this article.
The name is therefore derived from its shape, a strip 6 to 12 kilometers wide, and from its capital, Gaza, is located in the north and has 700,000 inhabitants. The Israeli army’s evacuation order suggests that massive measures could be taken there.
newspaper “Le Monde”
The Gaza Strip is the area where Israel’s response will be focused following the Hamas attack from that area.
It should be the Gaza Strip Inland due to its location in relation to its two neighbors. In fact, Gazans can only leave the territory through three strictly regulated border crossings: two with Israel, Erez in the north and Kerem Shalom in the south, and one with Egypt, the Rafah border post, an opening often used as a safety valve. Secret tunnels have also been dug in the past.
Who are its residents?
The Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. No fewer than 2.3 million people live in this 360 square kilometer area, which is equivalent to the population of Paris itself.
The population of the Gaza Strip is part of the global Palestinian community. A third of them have roots in the region itself, the remaining two thirds are refugees from the Arab-Israeli war of 1948 and their descendants. Since Israel’s withdrawal plan in 2005, Israeli settlers have withdrawn from the Gaza Strip.
are Gazans very young : Almost half of the population is under 18 years old. It is also a region with a very high poverty rate53% according to the World Bank, which is associated with a high unemployment rate. Only 18,000 Gazans have work permits in Israel.
Why is this region called an “open-air prison”?
The residents of the Gaza Strip have been living for 16 years a blockage led by Israel and Egypt, with support from the United States. It was founded in 2007 Hamas, an Islamist movement born in the 1980s, seized power in the Gaza Strip. This organization is classified as terrorist by the European Union
Since Hamas came to power, Israel has controlled the movement of people across Gaza’s borders and limited the import of food, fuel, electricity and building materials. For this reason, experts often refer to this area as “Open-air prison”. According to the United Nations, about 80% of Gaza’s population relies on international aid and around a million people rely on daily food aid.
This blockade also affects the air and sea space of the Gaza Strip. The UN considers it illegal under international law. This Tuesday, October 10, she strongly reiterated her position on the total siege of the Palestinian enclave and also condemned Hamas’s “heinous attacks” and its Israeli hostage-taking.
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