Gaza Strip
Background
The Gaza Strip has been under the de facto governing authority of the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS) since 2007 and has faced years of conflict, poverty, and humanitarian crises. Inhabited since at least the 15th century B.C., the Gaza Strip area has been dominated by many different peoples and empires throughout its history; it was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in the early 16th century. The Gaza Strip fell to British forces during World War I, becoming a part of the British Mandate of Palestine. Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Egypt administered the newly formed Gaza Strip; Israel captured it in the Six-Day War in 1967. Under a series of agreements known as the Oslo Accords signed between 1993 and 1999, Israel transferred to the newly-created Palestinian Authority (PA) security and civilian responsibility for many Palestinian-populated areas of the Gaza Strip, as well as the West Bank. In 2000, a violent intifada or uprising began in response to perceived Israeli provocations, and in 2001, negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip stalled. Subsequent attempts to re-start negotiations have not resulted in progress toward determining final status and resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel in 2005 unilaterally withdrew all of its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip, but it continues to control the Gaza Stripโs land borders, maritime territorial waters, cyberspace, telecommunications, and airspace. In 2006, HAMAS won a majority in the Palestinian Legislative Council election. Fatah, the dominant Palestinian political faction in the West Bank, and HAMAS failed to maintain a unity government, leading to violent clashes between their respective supporters and HAMAS's violent seizure of all PA military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip in 2007. Since HAMAS's takeover, Israel and Egypt have enforced tight restrictions on movement and access of goods and individuals into and out of the territory. Fatah and HAMAS have since negotiated a series of agreements aimed at restoring political unity between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank but have struggled to enact them. Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip and the Israel Defense Forces periodically exchange projectiles and air strikes, respectively, threatening broader conflict. In 2021, HAMAS launched rockets into Israel, sparking an 11-day conflict that also involved other Gaza-based militant groups. Egypt, Qatar, and the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process negotiated ceasefires, averting a broader conflict. Since 2018, HAMAS has coordinated demonstrations along the Gaza-Israel security fence. HAMAS has also stood by while other militant groups, such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad, fought brief conflicts with Israel, most recently in August 2022 and May 2023. On 7 October 2023, HAMAS militants inside the Gaza Strip launched a combined unguided rocket and ground attack into Israel. The attack began with a barrage of more than 3,000 rockets fired toward Israel from Gaza, and included thousands of terrorists infiltrating Israel by land, sea, and air via paragliders. Militants attacked military bases, clashed with security forces mostly in southern Israel, and simultaneously infiltrated civilian communities. During the attack, terrorists carried out massacres and murdered civilians, including torture, acts of abuse and rape, a massacre at the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re'im, as well as kidnapping approximately 240 civilians, including men, women, children, and soldiers. These attacks were followed soon after by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) air strikes inside Gaza. The next day, Israeli Prime Minister NETANYAHU formally declared war on Gaza. The IDF on 28 October launched a large-scale ground assault inside Gaza that is ongoing as of April 2024.
Area
Coastline
40 km
Elevation
Geographic coordinates
Geography - note
once a strategic strip of land along Mideast-North African trade routes
Irrigated land
(2013) 151 sq km; note - includes the West Bank
Location
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Israel
Map references
Middle East
Maritime claims
see entry for Israel
Natural hazards
droughts
Natural resources
Terrain
flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain
Age structure
Birth rate
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
2.1% (2020 est.) note: estimate is for Gaza Strip and the West Bank
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
62.4% (2020 est.) note: data includes Gaza and the West Bank
Death rate
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 69.6 (2025 est.) youth dependency ratio: 64.5 (2025 est.) elderly dependency ratio: 5.1 (2025 est.) potential support ratio: 19.7 (2025 est.)
Education expenditure
5.4% of GDP (2021 est.) note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank
Ethnic groups
Gross reproduction rate
1.52 (2025 est.)
Health expenditure
13.5% of national budget (2022 est.) note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank
Hospital bed density
1.3 beds/1,000 population (2019 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total: 14.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.) male: 16.3 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Languages
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 75.5 years (2024 est.) male: 73.7 years female: 77.4 years
Literacy
total population: 98% (2022 est.) male: 99% (2022 est.) female: 97% (2022 est.) note: estimates are for Gaza Strip and the West Bank
Major urban areas - population
778,000 Gaza (2023)
Maternal mortality ratio
16 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.) note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank
Median age
total: 19.9 years (2025 est.) male: 19.3 years female: 19.8 years
Net migration rate
-3.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Physician density
2.17 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
Population distribution
population concentrated in major cities, particularly Gaza City in the north
Population growth rate
1.96% (2025 est.)
Population
- breakdown
- {"male":{"value":1108222,"unit":"people","formatted":"1,108,222","name":"Male Population"},"female":{"value":1076430,"unit":"people","formatted":"1,076,430","name":"Female Population"}}
- meta
- {"year":2025}
Refugees and internally displaced persons
Religions
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
total: 13 years (2023 est.) male: 12 years (2023 est.) female: 14 years (2023 est.) note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.05 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Total fertility rate
3.14 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions
3.913 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from petroleum and other liquids: 3.913 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) note: includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
Climate
temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers
Environmental issues
soil degradation; desertification; water pollution from chemicals and pesticides; salination of fresh water; improper sewage treatment; depletion and contamination of underground water resources
Land use
agricultural land: 64.9% (2023 est.) arable land: 7% (2023 est.) permanent crops: 11.8% (2023 est.) permanent pasture: 46.1% (2023 est.) forest: 1.8% (2023 est.) other: 32.1% (2023 est.)
Particulate matter emissions
31.3 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Total renewable water resources
837 million cubic meters (2022 est.) note: data represent combined total from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Total water withdrawal
municipal: 251 million cubic meters (2022) industrial: 37 million cubic meters (2022) agricultural: 158 million cubic meters (2022) note: data represent combined total from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Urbanization
urban population: 77.6% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 2.85% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank
Waste and recycling
municipal solid waste generated annually: 1.387 million tons (2024 est.) note: data represent combined total from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Country name
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Gaza, Gaza Strip local long form: none local short form: Qita' Ghazzah etymology: named for the largest city in the enclave, Gaza, whose settlement can be traced back to at least the 15th century B.C. (as "Ghazzat"); "Strip" refers to its elongated shape along the Mediterranean
Agricultural products
Budget
see entry for the West Bank
Current account balance
-$2.899 billion (2024 est.) -$2.895 billion (2023 est.) -$2.037 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip
Exchange rates
see entry for the West Bank
Exports - commodities
Exports - partners
Exports
GDP - composition, by end use
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
GDP (official exchange rate)
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income
36.4 (2023 est.) note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: 2.5% (2023 est.) highest 10%: 27.1% (2023 est.) note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip
Imports - commodities
Imports - partners
Imports
Industrial production growth rate
-32.2% (2024 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip
Industries
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
53.7% (2024 est.) 5.9% (2023 est.) 3.7% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip
Labor force
1.391 million (2022 est.) note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip
Population below poverty line
29.2% (2016 est.) note: % of population with income below national poverty line; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip
Real GDP growth rate
-26.6% (2024 est.) -4.6% (2023 est.) 4.1% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip
Real GDP per capita
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$20.339 billion (2024 est.) $27.694 billion (2023 est.) $29.016 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip
Remittances
5.4% of GDP (2024 est.) 18.2% of GDP (2023 est.) 24% of GDP (2022 est.) note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$1.328 billion (2024 est.) $1.323 billion (2023 est.) $896.9 million (2022 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip
Taxes and other revenues
21.5% (of GDP) (2021 est.) note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip
Unemployment rate
24.5% (2022 est.) 26.4% (2021 est.) 25.9% (2020 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
36.1% (2022 est.)
Coal
exports: 1 metric tons (2023 est.) note: includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
Electricity access
electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.) note: includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
Electricity generation sources
Electricity generation sources
Electricity
installed generating capacity: 352,000 kW (2023 est.) consumption: 6.956 billion kWh (2023 est.) imports: 6.925 billion kWh (2023 est.) transmission/distribution losses: 988 million kWh (2023 est.) note: includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
Energy consumption per capita
14.991 million Btu/person (2023 est.) note: includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
Petroleum
refined petroleum consumption: 29,000 bbl/day (2023 est.) note: includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
Broadband - fixed subscriptions
8 (2023 est.)
Broadcast media
1 TV station and about 10 radio stations; satellite TV accessible
Internet country code
.ps note: IANA has designated .ps for the Gaza Strip, same as the West Bank
Internet users
percent of population: 87% (2023 est.) note: includes the West Bank
Telephones - mobile cellular
total subscriptions: 4,148,420 (2023 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 77 (2023 est.) note: entry includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
Military and security forces
HAMAS maintains security forces inside Gaza in addition to its military wing, the 'Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades; the military wing ostensibly reports to the HAMAS Political Bureau but operates with considerable autonomy; there are several other militant groups operating in the Gaza Strip, most notably the Al-Quds Brigades of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which are usually but not always beholden to HAMAS's authority (2025) note: HAMAS is a US designated Foreign Terrorist Organization; see Terrorist Organizations under References
Military and security service personnel strengths
prior to the start of the 2023-2025 conflict with Israel, the military wing of HAMAS was estimated to have 20-30,000 fighters (2024)
Military expenditures
not available