Gaza is 365sq km, 45 km long and 5-12km wide, entirely sealed off from the outside world by an Israeli fence, guarded by watchtowers, snipers and tanks. Since the 19th century it has been occupied by the Ottomans until the First World War, then the British until 1948 and the Egyptians until 1967. Israel has held the Gaza Strip under military occupation for 38 years, since the Six Day War in 1967. Gaza's 8,000 settlers are 0.6 per cent of the Gaza Strip's population, alongside 1.3 million Palestinians. Gaza's population exploded in 1948-49 when thousands of Palestinian refugees fled into Gaza to escape fighting between Arab and Jewish forces. Most Palestinians in Gaza are the descendants of those refugees: 960,000 live in breeze-block refugee camps such as Jabalya, Beach Camp in Gaza City, Khan Younis and Nusseirat and Rafah.
The World Bank identifies Israeli closures, roadblocks and curfews as the main cause of economic disruption. Israel says they are necessary to stop suicide bomb and gun attacks on its population. Gaza City is the main Palestinian town, where the Palestinian Authority and security forces have their headquarters. It also has beachside hotels, a football stadium and tower blocks.
The refugee camps contribute to population densities of 3,954 people per sq km, compared with 463 people per sq km in the West Bank. According to October 2004 figures 38 per cent of Gazans were unemployed and 47 per cent of Palestinians live under the poverty line of $2.1 a day.
Today (2009) more than 1.1 million people, about 80% of Gaza's residents, are now dependent on food aid, as opposed to 63% in 2006. Unemployment is close to 40% and almost 70% of the 110,000 workers employed in the private sector have lost their jobs, according to a report — entitled: "The Gaza Strip: A Humanitarian Implosion" — released in early March 2008 by a coalition of Human Rights organizations, Haaretz reported.
The current situation in the Gaza Strip "is worse now than it has ever been since the start of the Israeli military occupation in 1967. The current situation in Gaza is man-made, completely avoidable and, with the necessary political will, can also be reversed," the report stated. According to the latest updates, educational services in Gaza have gone down in capacity by 50% because of the lack of the means to transport students to their schools and colleges. Because of cutting fuel of the Gaza strip, the Israeli government has caused 20% of the ambulances to go off service and 60% to be expected to park by the end of the week, forcing patients and doctors to reach hospitals on foot (Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights report).
• Most children in the Gaza Strip have experienced tear-gas, have had their homes searched and damaged, and witnessed shooting and explosions, with many being injured and traumatised as a result of the on-going genocide that has spanned generations.
• Children comprise 47 % of Gaza's population and are extremely vulnerable in what can now be described as the world’s largest open-air prison
• In Gaza, children are expected to grow up, play and go to school where bombs are dropped, tanks stationed, and guns aimed to kill
• Children are often the first casualties of war, with over 350 killed in the Israeli war on Gaza during Dec ’08 – Jan ’09 alone, and many other innocent children becoming orphans during this period
"To the Children & Future of Palestine"
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