The historic land of Palestine has a long and complicated history. This timeline aims to reflect pivotal moments in relation to the land of Gaza, better known as the Gaza Strip. Geographically, it sits on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, bordering Egypt from the northeast. Historically, the Gaza Strip has undergone various formulations, shrinking its borders to match different political realities. Currently it stands on 365 sq kilometers and is home to 2.17 million Palestinians. It is widely recognised as one of the most densely populated areas in the world (PCBS, 2022).
1948 Palestinian Nakba – Following the catastrophe of 1948, that resulted in the violent expulsion and flight of Palestinians from their land. Palestinians witnessed large-scale destruction of their villages and social fabric and violations of their cultural and political rights. Many of those internally displaced ended up in the Gaza Strip, then under Egyptian control.
As a result, eight recognised refugee camps were formed in the Gaza Strip. These include: Al-Shati (Beach camp), Bureji camp, Deir El-Balah camp, Jabalia camp, Khan Younis camp, Maghazi camp, Nuseirat camp, and Rafah camp (Rawling, 2023).
1967 Naksa – In the 1967 Palestinian exodus, Israeli forces captured the Gaza Strip along with the West Bank, parts of the Sinai Peninsula, and the Golan Heights. Inside the Strip, Israel executed dozens of Palestinians, established the first settlement bloc, and laid the foundation of decades of Israeli military administration of the Gaza Strip. The strip became governed under an Israeli military governor, referred to as a ‘mayor.’ Since then, Israel has maintained control of Gaza’s coastline, airspace, seafront and overall access.
1973 October War – During this war, the Gaza Strip remained under Israeli military administration, providing the military full control of all civil and security administration of the Gaza Strip.
1987 First Intifada – One defining moment in the Palestinian struggle against the oppressive Israeli rule is the First Intifada (1987-1993). Originating from the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza, and following the incident in which four Palestinians were killed on Dec 8th 1983 by an Israeli military forces truck, the Intifada quickly spread to the entire Gaza Strip and the West Bank. It was remarkably non-violent in character, marked by civil disobedience, strikes, and commercial shutdowns (Morris, 2001).
1993 Oslo Accords – Following the Oslo Accords in 1993, semi-autonomous control was given to a Palestinian governmental authority. This authority now ruled over urban areas, but Israel’s settlement blocs and military zones still exceeded 20% of the Gaza Strip.
1994-1996 The Gaza Strip barrier – Between 1994-1996, the occupation forces built an isolation barrier. The barrier further restricted the population of the Gaza Strip and prevented them from enjoying basic human rights such as their right to movement.
2000 Second Intifada – Following Ariel Sharon’s visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, deliberately designed to provoke Palestinians, the Second Intifada erupted. The Intifada entailed high numbers of Palestinian casualties, and the reconstruction of the isolation barrier surrounding the Gaza Strip which had otherwise been partially dismantled.
2004 Political Assassinations –
Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, the founder and leader of Hamas, was assassinated by an Israeli helicopter gunship on March 22.
Abd al-Aziz al-Rantissi, the co-founder of Hamas and successor to Yassin, was later assassinated by the Israeli army on April 17.
2004 New Border Built by Egypt – Due to Israeli concerns and their peace agreement with Egypt, Egypt was urged to build a barrier surrounding Gaza in 2004, further restricting its population.
2005 Israel’s Withdrawal from Gaza – While Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip is usually perceived as a gesture of goodwill, the complex decision (August-September 2005) was influenced by multiple factors relating to security challenges, economic considerations, and international pressure. Simply put, the cost of maintaining the military occupation of Gaza far exceeded the benefit. On the contrary, Israel annexed the Golan Heights in 1981 due to its geostrategic importance following decades of occupation (CNN, 2021).
It is important to note that despite its ‘disengagement’ from the Gaza Strip, Israel has continued its air, land, and sea blockade of Gaza controlling everything going in and out of the Strip.
This blockade, with some exceptions, has prevented many students and patients from leaving the Gaza Strip to pursue an education or seek treatment. This is mainly due to visa restrictions and denial of entry from the Israeli authorities.
2006 Palestinian Legislative Elections – Following the 2006 legislative elections held in the Palestinian territories, Hamas won the majority of Palestinian votes. Immediately, their leader Khaled Meshaal, called for a Hamas-Fatah coalition government. Hamas also issued politically pragmatic statements, and there is evidence suggesting that they planned to offer an extended ceasefire for an undetermined time (Pina, 2006). However, as the result of the elections contradicted American interest, a substantial part of the international community including the United States and European Union refused to deal with them, cutting off international aid to the Palestinians and imposing sanctions on the Palestinian Authority. Moreover, Fatah took a series of punitive measures to pressure Hamas into conceding and refused to hand over the authority to them.
2007 Hamas Takes Control – Hamas was able to trump Fatah’s influence in Gaza and seize power by June the 14th, despite Israeli airstrikes on the Strip. This was a product of their superior military capability and overwhelming public support (Aljazeera, 2011). Consequently, Israel and Egypt tightened their grip on the Gaza borders, entrances, and exits.
The influence of the Gaza blockade has been further exacerbated by various military offensives on the Strip, major operations include 2008/09, 2012, and 2014:
2008-2009- Operation Cast Lead
Operation ‘Cast Lead’ (starting December and lasting 22 days) entailed a full scale invasion of the Gaza Strip and the culmination of Israeli military operations in the Strip since the beginning of 2008. According to Amnesty International’s report, it lead to many casualties , destruction and devastation (Amnesty International, 2009):
- Approximately 1,400 Palestinians were killed, including 300 children, 115 women, 85 men aged over 50, and hundreds of the remaining unarmed civilians marking unprecedented numbers.
- Many Palestinian civilians were killed in indiscriminate and reckless attacks against densely populated civilian areas, despite Israel’s capability to use high-precision weapons and pinpoint their claimed targets.
- The Israeli army has declared that 1,200 of those murdered were targets, despite evidence by Amnesty International proving otherwise. It has also failed to provide any information or support for their claims.
- The Israeli occupation forces deliberately targeted civilians, media crews, ambulances, and medical workers while they were attempting to carry out their duties, preventing them from reaching those who could have been saved and rescued.
- The Gaza Strip’s borders were kept closed so civilians could not flee, leaving nowhere in Gaza where safety could be guaranteed.
- Amnesty International found evidence of Israeli forces using Palestinian civilians as “human shields”.
- Amnesty International found no evidence of rockets launched from residential houses or buildings, despite Israel claiming otherwise.
- Besides direct casualties, Gaza and its population were left with much destruction and devastation, including destroyed houses and infrastructure and a humanitarian crisis marked by fuel, power, food, and water shortages.
2012 Operation Pillar of Defense –
Again, the Israeli Air Force bombed residential areas in Gaza. Israel’s offensive was deemed disproportionate and caused heavy civilian casualties. 160 Palestinians were murdered including 30 children and a majority of civilians (The Times of Israel, 2013).
2014 Operation Protective Edge –
Launched on 8th July 2014, this round of aggression saw the killing of more than 2,000 Palestinians, including at least 500 children, and more than 10,000 people injured.
Thousands were displaced, and those who stayed struggled to access basic services due to infrastructure and property damage.
The British deputy prime minister noted that Israeli attacks were ‘deliberately disproportionate’ and amounted to ‘collective punishment’, even though the UK government was complicit, selling £6.3 million-worth of weapons to Israel. They did so despite rising concerns that these were used to commit human rights violations (Amnesty International, 2015).
2018 March of Return – The March of Return was a series of non-violent demonstrations that took place every Friday in the Gaza Strip near the border. Prompted by Palestinian journalist and poet Ahmad Abu Artema, it started on March 30th, 2018 and demanded the return of Palestinians forcefully displaced from their homes in 1948 and 1967 and protested the decades-long blockade on Gaza. It is worth noting that 70 percent of Gaza’s population are registered Palestinian refugees who lost their homes and means of livelihoods as a product of the 1948 and 1967 wars (Aljazeera, 2019).
In response to the March of Return, Israeli forces used lethal force, killing 195 Palestinians, including 41 children, and injuring more than 700. With the exception of two cases, the United Nations Human Rights Council found the use of direct violence including live ammunition unlawful (OCHA, 2019). Among those targeted were also medical staff and journalists.
2021 Sheikh Jarrah – As a consequence of the evictions in the Palestinian neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem and recurring invasions of al-Aqsa Mosque, confrontation erupted between Hamas and the Israeli occupation forces, leading to the killing of 200 Palestinians in Gaza.
Following 7th October 2023 –
Currently, the events following October 7th are still unfolding on the ground. Some would argue that there has been no “beginning or end” to the aggression on the Gaza Strip and Palestine more generally. On the contrary, there has been continuous aggression and struggles that have taken different forms, varying in intensity.
2022 marked the deadliest year for Palestinians since 2005. Hamas’s attack took place to end Israel’s ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip, its occupation of Palestinian land, and its crimes against Palestinians. Israel has since killed more Palestinians than they have collectively done throughout all of their different military offenses on Gaza (OCHA, 2023). They have displaced the majority of the population of the Gaza Strip. More importantly, they have shown their true colors. All in the name of ‘self defense.’
References:
- Aljazeera (2011) Timeline: Mideast conflict. (n.d.). Www.aljazeera.com. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2011/1/23/timeline-palestine-israel-conflict
- Amnesty International (2013). https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/mde150212009eng.pdf Winer, S. (2013). Amnesty accuses Israel, Palestinians of war crimes (S. Winer, Ed.) [Review of Amnesty accuses Israel, Palestinians of war crimes]. The Times of Israel. https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.timesofisrael.com/amnesty-accuses-israel-palestinians-of-war-crimes/&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1703424155613478&usg=AOvVaw31zU5FcByeJjF5U0WKdqy4
- Amnesty International (2015). Gaza: Operation Protective Edge [Review of Gaza: Operation Protective Edge]. Amnesty International. https://www.amnesty.org.uk/gaza-operation-protective-edge
- Deaton, N. B. A. (2021, December 28). Israel announces plan to double Golan Heights population, drawing condemnation from Syria. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/12/27/middleeast/israel-golan-heights-population-double-syria-intl/index.html
- Palestine Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) Presents the Conditions of Palestinian Populations on the Occasion of the International Population Day, 11/07/2022 A world of 8 billion: “Towards a resilient future Harnessing opportunities and ensuring rights and choices for all” About 14.3 Million Palestinians in Historical Palestine and Diaspora. (n.d.). https://www.pcbs.gov.ps/portals/_pcbs/PressRelease/Press_En_InterPopDay2022E.pdf
- Pina, A., & LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE. (2006). Palestinian elections.
- Rawling, C. (2023, November 8). There are eight refugee camps in Gaza — five have reportedly been struck since war with Israel began. ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-08/refugee-camps-in-the-gaza-strip-why-are-they-being-targeted/103048034
- United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – occupied Palestinian territory | Approaching the first anniversary of the “Great March of Return” protests in Gaza. (2019, March 27). United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – Occupied Palestinian Territory. https://www.ochaopt.org/content/approaching-first-anniversary-great-march-return-protests-gaza#:~:text=Between%2030%20March%202018%20and%2022%20March%202019%2C
- United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – occupied Palestinian territory | Data. (n.d.). United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – Occupied Palestinian Territory. Retrieved December 28, 2023, from https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.ochaopt.org/data&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1703768159507060&usg=AOvVaw0zUjyvpP8CK4CujxmuwtQY
- World101. (2023, October 11). Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Timeline. World101 from the Council on Foreign Relations. https://world101.cfr.org/understanding-international-system/conflict/israeli-palestinian-conflict-timeline