Gaza Strip

Gaza Strip

Introduction

Background

The September 1993 Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements provided for a transitional period of Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Under a series of agreements signed between May 1994 and September 1999, Israel transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA) security and civilian responsibility for many Palestinian-populated areas of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip stalled following the outbreak of an intifada in September 2000. In April 2003, the Quartet (US, EU, UN, and Russia) presented a roadmap to a final settlement of the conflict by 2005 based on reciprocal steps by the two parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. Following Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT’s death in late 2004, Mahmud ABBAS was elected PA president in January 2005. A month later, Israel and the PA agreed to the Sharm el-Sheikh Commitments in an effort to move the peace process forward. In September 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew all its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip and withdrew settlers and redeployed soldiers from four small northern West Bank settlements. Nonetheless, Israel still controls maritime, airspace, and most access to the Gaza Strip

and it enforces a restricted zone along the border inside Gaza. In January 2006, the Islamic Resistance Movement, HAMAS, won control of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). HAMAS took control of the PA government in March 2006, but President ABBAS had little success negotiating with HAMAS to present a political platform acceptable to the international community so as to lift economic sanctions on Palestinians. Violent clashes between Fatah and HAMAS supporters in the Gaza Strip in 2006 and early 2007 resulted in numerous Palestinian deaths and injuries. In February 2007, ABBAS and HAMAS Political Bureau Chief MISHAL signed the Mecca Agreement in Saudi Arabia that resulted in the formation of a Palestinian National Unity Government (NUG) headed by HAMAS member Ismail HANIYA. However, fighting continued in the Gaza Strip, and in June 2007, HAMAS militants succeeded in a violent takeover of all military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip. ABBAS dismissed the NUG and through a series of presidential decrees formed a PA government in the West Bank led by independent Salam FAYYAD. HAMAS rejected the NUG’s dismissal, and despite multiple rounds of Egyptian-brokered reconciliation negotiations, the two groups have failed to bridge their differences. Late November 2007 through June 2008 witnessed a substantial increase in Israeli-Palestinian violence. An Egyptian-brokered truce in June 2008 between Israel and HAMAS brought about a five-month pause in hostilities, but spiraling end-of-year violence resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1,100 to 1,400 Palestinians and left tens of thousands of people homeless. International donors pledged $4.5 billion in aid to rebuild the Gaza Strip, but by the end of 2010 large-scale reconstruction had not begun.

Geography

Location

Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Israel

Geographic coordinates

31 25 N, 34 20 E

Map references

Middle East

Area

total: 360 sq km
country comparison to the world: 205 land:360 sq km
water:0 sq km

Area – comparative

slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries

total: 62 km
border countries:Egypt 11 km, Israel 51 km

Coastline

40 km

Maritime claims

see entry for Israel
note:effective 3 January 2009 the Gaza maritime area is closed to all maritime traffic and is under blockade imposed by Israeli Navy until further notice

Climate

temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers

Terrain

flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point:Abu ‘Awdah (Joz Abu ‘Awdah) 105 m

Natural resources

arable land, natural gas

Land use

arable land: 29%
permanent crops:21%
other:50% (2002)

Irrigated land

180 sq km

note – includes West Bank (2008)

Natural hazards

droughts

Environment – current issues

desertification

salination of fresh water

sewage treatment

water-borne disease

soil degradation

depletion and contamination of underground water resources

Geography – note

strategic strip of land along Mideast-North African trade routes has experienced an incredibly turbulent history

the town of Gaza itself has been besieged countless times in its history

People and Society

Nationality

noun: NA
adjective:NA

Ethnic groups

Palestinian Arab

Languages

Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by many Palestinians), English (widely understood)

Religions

Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 99.3%, Christian 0.7%

Population

1,657,155 (July 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 150

Age structure

0-14 years: 43.9% (male 374,110/female 354,088)
15-64 years:53.5% (male 453,253/female 432,855)
65 years and over:2.6% (male 17,326/female 25,523) (2011 est.)

Median age

total: 17.7 years
male:17.5 years
female:17.9 years (2011 est.)

Population growth rate

3.201% (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7

Birth rate

35.3 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 29

Death rate

3.29 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 215

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 87

Urbanization

urban population: 72% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization:3.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years:1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years:1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over:0.68 male(s)/female
total population:1.04 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 17.12 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 105 male:18.25 deaths/1,000 live births
female:15.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 73.92 years
country comparison to the world: 111 male:72.27 years
female:75.68 years (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.74 children born/woman (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 26

HIV/AIDS – adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS – people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

HIV/AIDS – deaths

NA

Education expenditures

NA

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population:92.4%
male:96.7%
female:88% (2004 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 14 years
male:13 years
female:14 years (2006)

Government

Country name

conventional long form: none
conventional short form:Gaza Strip
local long form:none
local short form:Qita’ Ghazzah

Economy

Economy – overview

High population density, limited land and sea access, continuing isolation, and strict internal and external security controls have degraded economic conditions in the Gaza Strip – the smaller of the two areas in the Palestinian Territories. Israeli-imposed crossings closures, which became more restrictive after HAMAS violently took over the territory in June 2007, and fighting between HAMAS and Israel during December 2008-January 2009, resulted in the near collapse of most of the private sector, extremely high unemployment, and high poverty rates. Shortages of goods are met through large-scale humanitarian assistance – led by UNRWA – and the HAMAS-regulated black market tunnel trade that flourishes under the Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt. However, changes to the blockade in 2010 included moving from a white list – in which only approved items were allowed into Gaza through the crossings – to a black list, where all but non-approved items were allowed into Gaza through the crossings. Israeli authorities have recently signaled that exports from the territory might be possible in the future, but currently regular exports from Gaza are not permitted.

GDP (purchasing power parity)

see entry for West Bank

GDP – real growth rate

see entry for West Bank

GDP – per capita (PPP)

see entry for West Bank

GDP – composition by sector

see entry for West Bank

Labor force

339,000 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 159

Labor force – by occupation

agriculture: 12%
industry:5%
services:83% (June 2008)

Unemployment rate

40% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 183 40% (2009 est.)

Population below poverty line

70% (2009 est.)

Budget

see entry for West Bank

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

6% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 163 2.5% (2009 est.)
note:includes West Bank

Commercial bank prime lending rate

see entry for West Bank

Stock of domestic credit

note: see entry for West Bank

Agriculture – products

olives, fruit, vegetables, flowers

beef, dairy products

Industries

textiles, food processing

Industrial production growth rate

see entry for West Bank

Electricity – production

65,000 kWh (2009)
country comparison to the world: 214

Electricity – consumption

202,000 kWh (2009)
country comparison to the world: 214

Electricity – exports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity – imports

120,000 kWh

note – from Israeli Electric Company (2009)

Oil – production

see entry for West Bank

Oil – consumption

see entry for West Bank

Oil – exports

see entry for West Bank

Oil – imports

see entry for West Bank

Oil – proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 141

Exports – commodities

strawberries, carnations

Imports

see entry for West Bank

Imports – commodities

food, consumer goods
note:Israel permits limited imports through crossings with Gaza, but many “dual use” goods, such as construction materials, are smuggled through tunnels beneath Gaza’s border with Egypt

Debt – external

see entry for West Bank

Exchange rates

new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar -
3.739 (2010)
3.9323 (2009)
3.56 (2008)
4.14 (2007)
4.4565 (2006)

Transportation

Airports

1 (2010)
country comparison to the world:219

Airports – with paved runways

total: 1
over 3,047 m:1 (2010)

Heliports

1 (2010)

Roadways

note: see entry for West Bank

Ports and terminals

Gaza

Military

Military branches

Palestinian Authority security forces have operated only in the West Bank, not in the Gaza Strip, since HAMAS seized power in June 2007

law and order and other security functions are performed by HAMAS security organizations (2008)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 385,961 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 335,820
females age 16-49:319,847 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 18,805
female:17,903 (2010 est.)

Military expenditures

NA

Transnational Issues

Disputes – international

West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement – permanent status to be determined through further negotiation

Israel removed settlers and military personnel from the Gaza Strip in August 2005

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 1.017 million (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) (2007)