Gaza City

First founded in 15th century BCE, Gaza City has not been taken over by a proper government until the year 1994 AD. It is, in fact, the capital of the Gaza Strip (the entire territory is named after this city), and is the largest city in the Gaza Strip and all of the Palestinian territories. The other main Gaza Strip areas are as follows: North Gaza, Deir al-Balah, Khan Yunis and Rafah.

There are many sources that lend different approaches to the naming of Gaza City. Some believe (and this is likely) that the name came from the Arabic word “Gazza” rooted from the Hebrew word for “strong”, though some believe that it may have been rooted from the Egyptian “Gazzat” or “prized city”.

Whichever source was true, one may be led to think that this name may have sealed the fate of Gaza City as a city of political importance.

Gaza City is the largest city in State of Palestine and has been inhabited since 15th century BCE. It’s a Palestinian, Muslim majority, with 590,481 people inhabiting it as of 2017. 

Gaza has been dominated by several different peoples and empires throughout its history. In the early 20th century, Gaza was ruled by the British. As part of a 1948 UN Partition Plan that saw the creation of two states within Palestine — Israel and Jordan –- Gaza became part of an  Egyptian annexation into what would become known as the West Bank (which is now controlled by Israel).