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Gaza (Gush Katif)

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Gaza (Gush Katif)
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Gaza (Gush Katif)

A land of ancient memory and recent war

The Gaza Strip lies between Israel and Egypt, in the region of the ancient Philistine city of Gaza, where the Bible places the death of Samson. Israel captured it from Egypt in 1967, and from the 1970s Israeli settlers built a bloc of communities in its southwest called Gush Katif, with about 9,000 residents in 21 settlements. In August 2005 Israel withdrew all its settlers and troops under the Disengagement Plan. Hamas won elections in 2006 and took full control in 2007. Israelis still disagree about whether the withdrawal was necessary or a mistake.

Glossary: Gaza (Gush Katif)