Israel is engaged in combat on two fronts at the moment. It is engaged in a conflict with Hamas for control of the Gaza Strip, and tensions with Iran are also present. The two nations also exchanged missiles and shells at this time. But there is calm for the time being. It is impossible to predict when the conflict with Iran will resume, however. However, reports are filtering in that the Israeli army has begun operations in accordance with the plan to seize and fully rule the Gaza Strip. The army claims to have already seized control of Gaza City‘s environs. In order to prepare for the occupation, Israeli troops have already been stationed in the neighborhoods of Zaitoon and Jabalia. However, Israel captured this Gaza Strip 20 years ago. What happened when it was compelled to depart the Gaza Strip in 2005?

Let’s first give you a brief overview of the history of that ancient city before explaining why we left Gaza. In actuality, the city of Gaza has been under the control of several dynasties. It was a part of the Ottoman Empire before 1917, a huge and strong empire that dominated most of the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and North Africa for over 600 years. This empire lasted from the late 13th century to 1922, after World War I. This empire began to wane already before 1922, and as a result, Gaza was placed under British control in 1917, a situation that persisted until 1948. Egypt seized Gaza City at the time of Israel’s creation in 1948. However, Israel has regarded Gaza City as a part of it since its founding. In this case, it fought a war with Egypt to get it after waiting for over twenty years.

Israel conquered Egypt and gained control of Gaza City during this six-day conflict in 1967. Now it seemed like Gaza City would be all right. However, conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians began to occur on a regular basis. The period of this uprising was 1987–1993. The First Intifada was the name given to this uprising. “To shake off” or “to uproot” are the meanings of intifada. The Palestinians adopted this phrase to describe their uprising against Israeli occupation. Nine thousand Israelis were on one side, while twenty lakh Palestinians were on the other. Israel’s control of the Gaza Strip, which includes Gaza City and the surrounding territory, lasted until 2005 despite this. The Gaza Strip is 41 kilometers long and 6 to 12 kilometers broad. Israel then implemented a unilateral disengagement plan, withdrawing its soldiers and Jewish settlers from Gaza. However, Israel continued to control Gaza’s air, land, and sea borders even throughout this period.

The first of the three justifications offered for Israel’s departure from Gaza was the economic and security costs. In fact, Israel’s efforts to defend the Jewish communities in the Gaza Strip and keep its soldiers there had grown very costly and dangerous. The Israeli army was constantly engaged in combat due to the violent assaults and Palestinian revolt (the Second Intifada), which resulted in a significant loss of life and property. The expectation that the peace process will progress was the second motivation. Withdrawing from Gaza, according to then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, would lessen hostilities between Israel and the Palestinians and advance the peace process. This was a kind of test to determine what would happen if the Palestinians were granted autonomy. Meanwhile, demographics and politics were the third main factor. Approximately 9,000 people lived in Jewish colonies in Gaza, compared to over 2 million Palestinians. Given this stark disparity, Israel has found it politically burdensome to continue occupying Gaza. In addition, a sizable portion of the Israeli populace favored the evacuation of Gaza.

However, Hamas began to gain power as soon as Israel left Gaza City. Gaza City was taken over by Hamas in 2007. Israel then enforced a stringent embargo on the Gaza Strip to prevent Hamas from obtaining weapons and other supplies. The inhabitants of Gaza experienced severe financial hardships and a humanitarian catastrophe as a result of this siege. For the Palestinian people, Hamas views this embargo as a kind of collective punishment. Conflicts between Israel and Hamas grew frequent under such circumstances. However, the animosity between the two has been manifested as a horrific conflict over the last several years. However, Israel has once again launched a military campaign on Gaza City in the ongoing battle with the goal of destroying Hamas. The Israeli Army’s (IDF) spokesman claims that they have taken over the city’s peripheral areas. Israel, meanwhile, claims that its goal is to remove Hamas’s authority rather than to occupy it permanently. For this operation, Israel has also summoned a sizable contingent of reserve troops.