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CIA Factbook: Gaza
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. Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Israel Geographic coordinates: 31 25 N, 34 20 E Map references: Middle East Area: Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: Coastline: 40 km Maritime claims: 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: Natural resources: arable land, natural gas Land use: 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 Population: 1,657,155 (July 2011 est.) Age structure: Median age: Population growth rate: 3.201% (2011 est.) Birth rate: 35.3 births/1,000 population (2011 est.) Death rate: 3.29 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.) Urbanization: Sex ratio: Infant mortality rate:
total: 17.12 deaths/1,000 live births male: 18.25 deaths/1,000 live births female: 15.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.) Life expectancy at birth: Total fertility rate: 4.74 children born/woman (2011 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: HIV/AIDS - deaths: Nationality: Ethnic groups: Palestinian Arab Religions: Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 99.3%, Christian 0.7% Languages: Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by many Palestinians), English (widely understood) Literacy: Country name: Data code: GZ 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 - PPP): $12.79 billion (2009 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $6.641 billion (2008 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 7% (2009 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,900 (2008 est.) GDP - composition by sector: Population below poverty line: 70% (2009 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage
share: Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.5% (2010 est.) Labor force: 339,000 (2009) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 12%,
industry 5%, services 83% (June 2008)
Unemployment rate: 40% (2010 est.) Budget: Industries: textiles, food processing Industrial production growth rate: NA Electricity - production: 65,000 kWh (2009) Electricity - consumption: 202,000 kWh (2009) Electricity - imports: 120,000 kWh; note - from Israeli Electric Company (2009) Agriculture - products: olives, citrus fruit, vegetables, flowers, beef, dairy products Exports - commodities: strawberries, carnations Exports - partners: Israel, Egypt, West Bank Imports: $3.772 billion (2008) Imports - commodities: food, consumer goods Imports - partners: Israel, Egypt, West Bank Debt - external: $1.04 billion (2010 est.) Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar - 3.739 (2010), 3.9323 (2009), 3.56 (2008), 4.14 (2007), 4.4565 (2006), 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004) Telephones - main lines in use: 360,400 (includes West Bank) (2010) Telephones - mobile cellular: 2.405 million (includes West Bank) (2010) Telephone system: Broadcast media: 1 television station and about 10 radio stations (2008)
Internet country code: .ps (same as West Bank) Internet users: 1.379 million (includes West Bank) (2009) Roadways: Ports and harbors: Gaza Airports: 1 (2010) Airports - with paved runways: Heliports: 1 (2010) 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) Military expenditures: NA 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 (country of origin): 1.017 million (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) (2007) Source: CIA World Factbook 2011 |
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![[Country map of Gaza Strip]](/jsource/images/gazamap.jpg)
