Editing Gaza City (section)

== History ==
{{Main|History of Gaza|l1=History of Gaza City}}
{{See also|History of the Gaza Strip}}
Gaza's history of habitation dates back 5,000 years, making it one of the oldest cities in the world.<ref name=Dumper>Dumper et al., 2007, p. 155.</ref> Located on the [[Via Maris|Mediterranean coastal route]] between North Africa and the [[Levant]], for most of its history it served as a key [[entrepôt]] of southern Palestine and an important stopover on the [[spice trade]] route traversing the [[Red Sea]].<ref name=Dumper /><ref name = BBC>{{cite news|author=Alan Johnston|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4365440.stm|title= Gaza's ancient history uncovered|work=BBC News|access-date=2009-02-16 | date=2005-10-22}}</ref>

===Early history===
Settlement in the region of Gaza dates back to the [[ancient Egyptian]] fortress built in [[Canaan]]ite territory at [[Tell es-Sakan]], to the south of present-day Gaza. The site was inhabited until about 3000 BC. In about 2600 BC, the settlement was re-founded and this time inhabited by the Canaanites. Tell es-Sakan was abadoned again about 2300 BC.<ref>de Miroschedji & Sadeq 2008</ref> Another urban center known as [[Tell el-Ajjul]] began to grow along the Wadi Ghazza riverbed.<ref name="Filfil">{{cite web|url=http://www.thisweekinpalestine.com/details.php?id=2564&ed=157&edid=157|title=The Other Face of Gaza: The Gaza Continuum|first1=Rania|last1=Filfil|first2=Barbara|last2=Louton|work=This Week in Palestine|date=September 2008|access-date=2009-01-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207121431/http://www.thisweekinpalestine.com/details.php?id=2564&ed=157&edid=157|archive-date=2009-02-07|url-status=dead}}</ref>

During the reign of [[Tuthmosis III]] (r. 1479–1425 BC), the city became a stop on the Syrian-Egyptian [[caravan route]] and was mentioned in the 14th-century [[Amarna letters]] as "Azzati".<ref name="STF-J"/> Gaza later served as Egypt's administrative capital in [[Canaan]].<ref>Michael G. Hasel (1998) Domination and Resistance: Egyptian Military Activity in the Southern Levant, Ca. 1300–1185 B.C. BRILL, {{ISBN|90-04-10984-6}} p 258</ref> Gaza remained under Egyptian control for 350 years until it was conquered by the [[Philistine]]s in the 12th century BC.<ref name="STF-J">{{cite web |url=http://www.christusrex.org/www1/ofm/mad/discussion/123discuss.html |title=Gaza – (Gaza, al -'Azzah) |date=2000-12-19 |publisher=Studium Biblicum Franciscanum&nbsp;– Jerusalem |access-date=2009-02-16 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120728115614/http://www.christusrex.org/www1/ofm/mad/discussion/123discuss.html |archive-date=2012-07-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In the 12th century BC Gaza became part of the [[Philistia|Philistine "pentapolis"]].<ref name="STF-J"/> Gaza achieved relative independence and prosperity under the [[Persian Empire]].

===Hellenistic period ===

[[Alexander the Great]] [[Siege of Gaza (332 BCE)|besieged Gaza]], the last city to resist his conquest on his path to Egypt, for five months before capturing it 332 BC;<ref name="STF-J"/> the inhabitants were either killed or taken captive. Alexander brought in local Bedouins to populate Gaza and organized the city into a ''[[polis]]'' (or "[[city-state]]").

In [[Seleucid]] times, [[Seleucus I Nicator]] or one of his successors renamed Gaza into '''Seleucia''' to control the surrounding area against the Ptolemies.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}} [[Greek culture]] consequently took root and Gaza earned a reputation as a flourishing center of [[Hellenistic period|Hellenistic]] learning and philosophy.<ref name="Ring and Salkin">Ring and Salkin, 1994, p.287.</ref> During the [[Third War of the Diadochi]], [[Ptolemy I Soter]] defeated [[Demetrius I of Macedon]] in [[Battle of Gaza (312 BC)|a battle]] near Gaza in 312 BC. In 277 BC, following [[Ptolemy II]]'s successful campaign against the [[Nabataeans]] the Ptolemaic fortress of Gaza took control of the spice trade with [[Gerrha]] and [[South Arabia|Southern Arabia]].

Gaza experienced another siege in 96 BC by the [[Hasmonean]] king [[Alexander Jannaeus]] who "utterly overthrew" the city, killing 500 senators who had fled into the temple of [[Apollo]].<ref name=Pataip149>Patai, 1999, p. 149.</ref>

===Roman period ===
[[File:4551 - Istanbul - Museo archeol. - Zeus - sec. II d.C. - da Gaza - Foto G. Dall'Orto 28-5-2006.jpg|thumb|right|Statue of [[Zeus]] that was unearthed in Gaza in the 20th century]]
[[Josephus]] notes that Gaza was resettled under the rule of [[Antipater the Idumaean|Antipater]], who cultivated friendly relations with Gazans, [[Ascalon]]ites and neighboring cities after being appointed governor of [[Idumea|Idumaea]] by Jannaeus.<ref name=Shatzmanp79>Shatzman, 1991, p. 79.</ref>

Rebuilt after it was incorporated into the [[Roman Empire]] in 63 BC under the command of [[Pompey Magnus]], Gaza then became a part of the [[Roman Judea|Roman province of Judaea]].<ref name="STF-J"/> It was targeted by Jewish forces during their rebellion against Roman rule in 66 and was partially destroyed.<ref name=Pataip142>Patai, 1999, p. 142.</ref> It nevertheless remained an important city, even more so after the destruction of [[Jerusalem]] during the [[First Jewish–Roman War]].<ref name="Dowling1">Dowling, 1913, p. [https://archive.org/stream/gazacityofmanyba00dowlrich#page/33/mode/1up 33]</ref> Following this, and again at the end of the [[Bar Kokhba revolt]] (132–136 CE), captives were sold into slavery in Gaza.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Harris |first=William V. |date=1980 |title=Towards a Study of the Roman Slave Trade |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4238700 |journal=Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome |volume=36 |pages=128 |doi=10.2307/4238700 |issn=0065-6801 |jstor=4238700 |quote=Slaves were sold at Gaza after the fall of Jerusalem and at the end of the Jewish rebellion in 135, and it may perhaps have been an important slaving center even in ordinary times.}}</ref>

Throughout the Roman period, Gaza was a prosperous city and received grants and attention from several emperors.<ref name="STF-J"/> A 500-member senate governed Gaza, and a diverse variety of [[Hellenistic|Greeks]], Romans, [[Phoenicia]]ns, [[Jews]], [[Egyptians]], [[Persians]], and [[Bedouin]] populated the city. Gaza's [[Mint (facility)|mint]] issued [[coin]]s adorned with the busts of [[Roman Pantheon|gods]] and [[Roman emperor|emperors]].<ref name="Doughty">{{cite web |url=http://www.thisweekinpalestine.com/details.php?id=1958&ed=133&edid=133 |title=Gaza: Contested Crossroads |access-date=2009-01-30 |last=Doughty |first=Dick |date=November 2006 |publisher=This Week in Palestine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110907165624/http://www.thisweekinpalestine.com/details.php?id=1958&ed=133&edid=133 |archive-date=2011-09-07 |url-status=dead }}</ref> During his visit in 130 AD,<ref name="mah">{{cite web |url=http://www.ville-ge.ch/mah/expos/pdf/212/Gaza_timeline.pdf |title=Gaza at the crossroads of civilisations |access-date=2008-01-23 |author=Remondino |date=June 5, 2007 |work=Exhibition: Gaza at the crossroads of civilisations (27 April to 7 October 2007)|publisher=Art and History Museum, [[Geneva]], Switzerland }}</ref> Emperor [[Hadrian]] personally inaugurated [[wrestling]], [[boxing]], and [[orator]]ical competitions in Gaza's new [[Roman theatre (structure)|stadium]].{{dubious|Probably stadium, unlikely for a Roman theatre, except for oratory.|date=December 2019}} The city was adorned with many pagan temples; the main cult being that of [[Dagon#Marnas|Marnas]]. Other temples were dedicated to [[Zeus]], [[Helios]], [[Aphrodite]], [[Apollo]], [[Athena]] and the local [[Tyche]].<ref name="STF-J"/> [[Christianity]] began to spread throughout Gaza in 250 AD, including in the [[Port of Gaza|port of Maiuma]].<ref>Jennifer Lee Hevelone-Harper (1997) Disciples of the Desert: Monks, Laity, and Spiritual Authority in Sixth-century Gaza (JHU Press) {{ISBN|0-8018-8110-2}} pp 11- 12</ref><ref>Hagith Sivan (2008) ''Palestine in late antiquity'' Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|0-19-928417-2}} p 337</ref><ref>Andrea Sterk (2004) ''Renouncing the World Yet Leading the Church: The Monk-bishop in Late Antiquity'' Harvard University Press, {{ISBN|0-674-01189-9}} p 207</ref><ref>Gerald Butt (1995) ''Life at the crossroads: a history of Gaza'' Rimal Publications, {{ISBN|1-900269-03-1}} p 70</ref>
First evidence of a Bishop of Gaza is from early 4th century, when [[Silvanus of Gaza (hieromartyr)|St. Sylvan]] served in that capacity.<ref>[https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06399c.htm "Gaza" from the Catholic Encyclopedia]</ref>

===Byzantine period ===
Following the division of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century AD, Gaza remained under control of the [[Eastern Roman Empire]] that in turn became the [[Byzantine Empire]]. The city prospered and was an important center for the southern Palestine.<ref name="Kaegi">Kaegi, W. ''Byzantium and the early Islamic conquests'', p.&nbsp;95</ref> A Christian [[bishopric]] was established at [[Diocese of Gaza|Gaza]]. Conversion to Christianity in Gaza was accelerated under [[Porphyry of Gaza|Saint Porphyrius]] between 396 and 420. In 402, [[Theodosius II]] ordered all eight of the city's pagan temples destroyed,<ref name="STF-J"/> and four years later Empress [[Aelia Eudocia]] commissioned the construction of a church atop the ruins of the Temple of Marnas.<ref name="Pringle">Pringle, 1993, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=BgQ6AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA208 208]</ref> It was during this era that the Christian philosopher [[Aeneas of Gaza]] called Gaza, his hometown, "the [[Athens]] of Asia."<ref>J.S. Tunison: "Dramatic Traditions of the Dark Ages", Burt Franklin, New York, p.11 [https://books.google.com/books?id=AB2ZqhFdZ4cC&pg=PA11]</ref> A large [[Gaza synagogue|synagogue]] existed in Gaza in the 6th century, according to excavations.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.english.imjnet.org.il/popup?c0=13127 |title= King David playing the lyre |access-date=28 April 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170517032359/http://www.english.imjnet.org.il/popup?c0=13127 |archive-date= 2017-05-17 |url-status= dead}}</ref>

===Early Islamic period===
[[File:Umm ar-Rasas mosaic Gaza.png|thumb|right|Depiction of a Gaza building in the Byzantine [[Umm ar-Rasas mosaics]], circa 8th century AD during the [[Abbasid Caliphate]]]]

In {{circa|638}} Gaza was captured by [[Rashidun Caliphate|Arab Muslim]] forces under [[Amr ibn al-As]], in the years following the [[Battle of Ajnadayn]] between the [[Byzantine Empire]] and the [[Rashidun Caliphate]] in central Palestine.<ref>Kennedy, 2007, p. 88.</ref> It was captured by Amr's forces about three years later. Believed to be the site where [[Muhammad]]'s great-grandfather [[Hashim ibn Abd Manaf]] was buried, Gaza was not destroyed and its inhabitants were not attacked by Amr's army despite the city's stiff and lengthy resistance, though its Byzantine garrison was massacred.<ref name="Filiu18-19">Filiu, 2014, pp. 18–19.</ref>

The arrival of the Muslim Arabs brought significant changes to Gaza; at first some of its [[Church Building|churches]] were transformed into [[mosques]], including the present [[Great Mosque of Gaza]] (the oldest in the city), which was later rebuilt by Sultan [[Baibars]], who endowed it with a huge manuscript library containing over 20,000 [[manuscript]]s in the 13th century.<ref name="Filiu18-19" /> A large segment of the population swiftly adopted Islam,<ref name="Filiu23">Filiu, 2014, pp. 23.</ref><ref name="Ring and Salkin2">Ring and Salkin, 1994, p. 289.</ref> and [[Arabic language|Arabic]] became the official language.<ref name="Ring and Salkin2" /> In 767 [[Al-Shafi'i|Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi'i]] was born in Gaza and lived his early childhood there; he founded the [[Shafi'i]] religious code, one of the four major [[Sunni Muslim]] schools of law (''[[fiqh]]'').<ref name="Gil">Gil, 1992, p.292.</ref> Security, which was well-maintained during early Muslim rule, was the key to Gaza's prosperity. Although [[alcohol (drug)|alcohol]] was banned in Islam, the Jewish and Christian communities were allowed to maintain [[wine]] [[viticulture|production]], and [[grape]]s, a major cash crop of the city, were exported mainly to [[Egypt]].<ref name="Sharon17-18">Sharon, 2009, pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=P2LtyFVNJmcC&pg=PA17 17]-18</ref>

Because it bordered the [[desert]], Gaza was vulnerable to warring [[nomad]]ic groups.<ref name="Sharon17-18" /> In 796 it was destroyed during a [[Civil War in Palestine (793-796)|civil war]] between the [[Arab]] tribes of the area.<ref name="Dowling2">Dowling, 1913, p. [https://archive.org/stream/gazacityofmanyba00dowlrich#page/37/mode/1up 37]</ref> However, by the 10th century, the city had been rebuilt by the [[Abbasid Caliphate|Abbasids]]; during [[Abbasid]] rule, the geographer [[al-Muqaddasi]] described Gaza as "a large town lying on the highroad to Egypt on the border of the desert."<ref>[[al-Muqaddasi]] quoted in le Strange, 1890, p. [https://archive.org/stream/palestineundermo00lestuoft#page/442/mode/1up 442]</ref> In 978, the [[Fatimid Caliphate|Fatimids]] established an agreement with [[Alptakin]], the Turk ruler of Damascus, whereby the Fatimids would control Gaza and the land south of it, including Egypt, while Alptakin controlled the region north of the city.<ref>Gil, 1992, p.349.</ref>

===Crusader and Ayyubid periods===
The [[First Crusade|Crusaders]] conquered Gaza in 1100 and King [[Baldwin III of Jerusalem|Baldwin III]] built a castle in the city for the [[Knights Templar]] in 1149.<ref name="Pringle" /> He also had the Great Mosque converted back into a church, the Cathedral of Saint John.<ref name="mah" /> In 1154, Arab traveller [[al-Idrisi]] wrote that Gaza "is today very populous and in the hands of the Crusaders."<ref>[[Yaqut al-Hamawi]] quoted in le Strange, 1890, p. [https://archive.org/stream/palestineundermo00lestuoft#page/442/mode/1up 442]</ref> In 1187 the [[Ayyubid dynasty|Ayyubids]], led by Sultan [[Saladin]], captured Gaza and in 1191 destroyed the city's fortifications. [[Richard the Lionheart]] apparently refortified the city in 1192, but the walls were dismantled again as a result of the [[Treaty of Ramla]] in 1193.<ref name="Pringle" /> Ayyubid rule ended in 1260, after the [[Mongol Empire|Mongols]] under [[Hulagu Khan]] completely destroyed Gaza, which became his southernmost conquest.<ref name="Ring and Salkin2" />

===Mamluk period===
Following Gaza's destruction by the Mongols, Muslim slave-soldiers based in Egypt known as the [[Bahri dynasty|Mamluks]] began to administer the area. In 1277, the Mamluks made Gaza the capital of a province that bore its name, ''Mamlakat Ghazzah'' (Governorship of Gaza). This district extended along the coastal plain of Palestine from [[Rafah]] in the south to just north of [[Caesarea Maritima|Caesarea]], and to the east as far as the [[Samaria]]n highlands and the [[Hebron Hills]]. Other major towns in the province included [[Qaqun]], [[Lod|Ludd]], and [[Ramla]].<ref name="Ring and Salkin2" /><ref name="Sharon">Sharon, 1997, pp.XII-XIII.</ref>{{full citation needed|date=June 2024}} Gaza, which entered a period of tranquility under the Mamluks, was used by them as an outpost in their offensives against the Crusaders which ended in 1290.<ref>Sharon, 2009, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=P2LtyFVNJmcC&pg=PA26 26]</ref> In 1294 an earthquake devastated Gaza, and five years later the Mongols again destroyed all that had been restored by the Mamluks.<ref name="Ring and Salkin2" /> [[Syria (region)|Syrian]] geographer [[Shams al-Din al-Ansari al-Dimashqi|al-Dimashqi]] described Gaza in 1300 as a "city so rich in trees it looks like a cloth of brocade spread out upon the land."<ref name="Doughty" /> Under the governorship of Emir [[Sanjar al-Jawli]], Gaza was transformed into a flourishing city and much of the [[Mamluk architecture|Mamluk-era architecture]] dates back to his reign between 1311 and 1320 and again in 1342.<ref>Sharon, 2009, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=P2LtyFVNJmcC&pg=PA87 87]</ref><ref>Meyer, 1907, p. [https://archive.org/stream/historyofcityofg00meyeuoft#page/83/mode/1up 83]</ref> In 1348 the [[bubonic plague]] spread to the city, killing the majority of its inhabitants and in 1352, Gaza suffered from a destructive flood, which was rare in that arid part of Palestine.<ref name="Ring and Salkin3">Ring and Salkin, 1994, p.290.</ref> However, when Arab writer [[Ibn Battuta]] visited the city in 1355, he noted that it was "large and populous, and has many mosques."<ref>[[Ibn Battuta]] quoted in le Strange, 1890, p. [https://archive.org/stream/palestineundermo00lestuoft#page/442/mode/1up 442]</ref> The Mamluks contributed to Gazan architecture by building mosques, [[madrassa|Islamic colleges]], hospitals, [[caravansaries]], and [[Bath house|public baths]].<ref name="Filfil" />

The Mamluks allowed Jews to return to the city, after being expelled by the Crusaders, and the Jewish community prospered during Mamluk rule. Towards the end of the Mamluk period, the Jewish community in Gaza was the third largest in Palestine, after the communities in Safad and Jerusalem.{{Citation needed|date=December 2013}} In 1481, an Italian Jewish traveller, [[Meshulam of Volterra]], wrote of Gaza:<blockquote>It is a fine and renowned place, and its fruits are very renowned and good. Bread and good wine is to be found there, but only Jews make wine. Gaza has a circumference of four miles and no walls. It is about six miles from the sea and situated in a valley and on a hill. It has a population as numerous as the sands of the sea, and there are about fifty (sixty) Jewish householders, artisans. They have a small but pretty Synagogue, and [[vineyard]]s and fields and houses.<ref>{{cite book | author = Elkan Nathan Adler | title = Jewish Travellers in the Middle Ages | url = https://archive.org/details/jewishtravellers00elka | url-access = registration | publisher = Dover | year = 1987 |orig-year= 1930 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/jewishtravellers00elka/page/180 180–181]| isbn = 9780486253978 }}</ref></blockquote>

===Ottoman period===
[[File:David Roberts - Gaza - 1927.138 - Cleveland Museum of Art.jpg|thumb|right|Painting of Gaza by [[David Roberts (painter)|David Roberts]], 1839, in ''[[The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt, and Nubia]]'']]
[[File:1840–41 Royal Engineers map of Gaza.jpg|thumb|left|Gaza in 1841, as [[1840–41 Royal Engineers maps of Palestine, Lebanon and Syria|mapped by the British Royal Engineers]] after the [[Oriental Crisis of 1840]]]]
[[File:Gaza (1881-1884) (A).jpg|thumb|Muslims studying the [[Qur'an]] with Gaza in the background, painting by [[Harry Fenn]], circa 1884]]
[[File:Francis Frith, Gaza (The Old Town).jpg|thumb|The Old Town, Gaza (1862–1863). Picture by [[Frances Frith]]]]

In 1516 Gaza—at the time, a small town with an inactive port, ruined buildings and reduced trade—was incorporated into the [[Ottoman Empire]].<ref name="Ring and Salkin3" /> The Ottoman army quickly and efficiently crushed a small-scale uprising,<ref>Ze'evi, 1996, p.2.</ref> and the local population generally welcomed them as fellow Sunni Muslims.<ref name="Ring and Salkin3" /> The city was then made the capital of the [[Sanjak of Gaza|Gaza Sanjak]], part of the larger [[Ottoman Syria|Province of Damascus]].<ref>Doumani, 1995, p.35.</ref> The [[Ridwan dynasty|Ridwan family]], named after governor Ridwan Pasha, was the first dynasty to govern Gaza and would continue to rule the city for over a century.<ref name="Ze'evi">Ze'evi, 1996, p.40.</ref> Under [[Ahmad ibn Ridwan]], the city became a cultural and religious center as a result of the partnership between the governor and prominent Islamic jurist [[Khayr al-Din al-Ramli]], who was based in the nearby town of al-[[Ramla]].<ref>Ze'evi, 1996, p.53.</ref>

According to [[Theodore Edward Dowling|Theodore E. Dowling]], writing in 1913, a [[Samaritan]] community existed in Gaza in 1584. They possessed a large [[Synagogue#Samaritan synagogues|synagogue]] and two bathhouses. "One of them still bears the name "[[Hamam al-Sammara|the Bath of the Samaritans]]." It is believed the Samaritans were expelled from the city before the turn of the 16th century.<ref>Dowling, 1913, pp.38-39.</ref>

During the rule of [[Husayn Pasha]], strife between the settled population and the nearby [[Bedouin]] tribes was dramatically reduced, allowing Gaza to peacefully prosper. The Ridwan period is described as a [[golden age]] for Gaza, a time when it served as the virtual "capital of Palestine."<ref>Dowling, 1913, pp. [https://archive.org/stream/gazacityofmanyba00dowlrich#page/70/mode/1up 70]-71</ref><ref>Meyer, 1907, p. [https://archive.org/stream/historyofcityofg00meyeuoft#page/98/mode/1up 98]</ref> The Great Mosque was restored, and six other mosques constructed, while [[Turkish bath]]s and market stalls proliferated.<ref name="Ring and Salkin3" /> After the death of [[Musa Pasha ibn Hasan Ridwan|Musa Pasha]], Husayn's successor, Ottoman officials were appointed to govern in place of the Ridwans. The Ridwan period was Gaza's last golden age during Ottoman rule. After the family was removed from office, the city gradually declined.<ref name="Ze'evi2">Ze'evi, 1996, p.41.</ref>

Starting in the early 19th century, Gaza was culturally dominated by neighboring Egypt; [[Muhammad Ali of Egypt]] conquered Gaza in 1832.<ref name="mah" /> American scholar [[Edward Robinson (scholar)|Edward Robinson]] visited the city in 1838, describing it as a "thickly populated" town larger than Jerusalem, with its Old City lying upon a hilltop, while its suburbs laid on the nearby plain.<ref name="Robinson1">Robinson, 1841, vol 2, pp. [https://archive.org/stream/biblicalresearc00smitgoog#page/n396/mode/1up 374]-375</ref> The city benefited from trade and commerce because of its strategic position on the caravan route between Egypt and northern Syria as well as from producing soap and cotton for trade with the government, local Arab tribes, and the Bedouin of [[Wadi Arabah]] and [[Ma'an]].<ref name="Robinson2">Robinson, 1841, vol 2, pp. [https://archive.org/stream/biblicalresearc00smitgoog#page/n399/mode/1up 377–378]</ref> The [[bazaar]]s of Gaza were well-supplied and were noted by Robinson as "far better" than those of Jerusalem.<ref>Robinson, 1841, vol 2, p. [https://archive.org/stream/biblicalresearc00smitgoog#page/n400/mode/1up 378]</ref> Robinson noted that virtually all of Gaza's vestiges of ancient history and antiquity had disappeared due to constant conflict and occupation.<ref>Robinson, 1841, p.38.</ref> By the mid-19th century, Gaza's port was eclipsed by the ports of Jaffa and [[Haifa]], but it retained its fishing fleet.<ref name="Abu-Lughod" />

The bubonic plague struck Gaza again in 1839 and the city, lacking political and economic stability, went into a state of stagnation. In 1840 Egyptian and Ottoman troops battled outside of Gaza. The Ottomans won control of the territory, effectively ending Egyptian rule over Palestine. However, the battles brought about more death and destruction in Gaza.<ref name="Ring and Salkin3" />

During the late Ottoman period, British ships docking in Gaza were loaded with [[barley]], which was primarily intended for marketing in [[Scotland]] for [[Scotch whisky|whisky]] production. Due to the absence of a British consular agent, precise data on the financial value and quantities of the goods are unavailable.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Grossman |first=David |title=Arab Demography and Early Jewish Settlement in Palestine: Distribution and Population Density during the Late Ottoman and Early Mandate Periods |publisher=The Hebrew University Magness Press, Jerusalem |year=2004 |isbn=978-965-493-184-7 |location=Jerusalem |pages=8 |language=he}}</ref>

===Stages of conflict and occupation===
[[File:Gaza after WWI 2.jpg|thumb|Gaza after surrender to British forces, 1918|left]]
While leading the [[Allies of World War I|Allied Forces]] during World War I, the British won control of the city during the [[Third Battle of Gaza]] in 1917.<ref name="Ring and Salkin3" /> After the war, Gaza was included in Mandatory Palestine.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merip.org/palestine-israel_primer/brit-mandate-pal-isr-prime.html|title=Palestine, Israel and the Arab-Israeli Conflict A Primer|access-date=2009-01-19|publisher=Middle East Research Information Project|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122095032/http://merip.org/palestine-israel_primer/brit-mandate-pal-isr-prime.html|archive-date=2009-01-22|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the 1930s and 1940s, Gaza underwent major expansion. New neighborhoods were built along the coast and the southern and eastern plains. International organizations and missionary groups funded most of this construction.<ref name="Abu-Lughod">Dumper and Abu-Lughod, 2007, p.155.</ref>

In the 1947 [[United Nations Partition Plan]], Gaza was assigned to be part of an Arab state in Palestine but was [[Occupation of the Gaza Strip by Egypt|occupied by Egypt]] following the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Gaza's growing population was augmented by an influx of refugees from nearby cities, towns and villages that were captured by Israel. In 1957, Egyptian president [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]] made a number of reforms in Gaza, which included expanding educational opportunities and the civil services, providing housing, and establishing local security forces.<ref name="Feldman">Feldman, 2008, pp.8–9.</ref>

Gaza was occupied by Israel during the 1967 [[Six-Day War]] following the defeat of the [[Egyptian Army]]. Frequent conflicts have erupted between Palestinians and the Israeli authorities in the city since the 1970s. The tensions led to the [[First Intifada]] in 1987. Gaza was a center of confrontation during this uprising,<ref name="Ring and Salkin3" /> and economic conditions in the city worsened.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.palestinechronicle.com/sara-roy-the-gaza-economy/ |author-link=Sara Roy|title=The Economy of Gaza |access-date=2009-01-19 |last=Roy |first=Sara |date=4 October 2006|publisher=Palestine Information Center }}</ref>

===Palestinian control===
{{See also|Gaza humanitarian crisis (2023–present)|Gaza Strip evacuations}}
[[File:Gaza City.JPG|thumb|Gaza City in 2007|left]]
In September 1993, the leaders of Israel and the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] (PLO) signed the [[Oslo Accords]]. The agreement called for Palestinian administration of the Gaza Strip and the [[West Bank]] town of [[Jericho]], which was implemented in May 1994. Israeli forces withdrew from Gaza, leaving a new [[Palestinian National Authority]] (PNA) to administer and police the city.<ref name="Ring and Salkin" /> The PNA, led by [[Yasser Arafat]], chose Gaza as its first provincial headquarters. The newly established [[Palestinian National Council]] held its inaugural session in Gaza in March 1996.<ref name="Abu-Lughod" />

In 2005, Israel withdrew its troops from the Gaza Strip and removed the thousands of Israelis who had settled in the territory.<ref name="BBCProfile" /> (''See'' [[Israel's unilateral disengagement plan of 2004]].) Since the Israeli withdrawal, [[Hamas]] has been engaged in a sometimes violent power struggle with its rival Palestinian organisation [[Fatah]]. On January 25, 2006, [[Hamas]] won a surprise victory in the [[2006 Palestinian legislative election|elections]] for the [[Palestinian Legislative Council]], the legislature of the [[Palestinian National Authority]]. In 2007, [[Fatah–Hamas battle in Gaza|Hamas overthrew Fatah forces]] in the Gaza Strip and Hamas members were dismissed from the PNA government in the West Bank in response. Hamas, recognized as a terror organization by most western countries, has ''de facto'' control of the city and Strip.<ref name="BBC07">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6754499.stm |title=Abbas sacks Hamas-led government |access-date=2009-01-19 |date=2007-07-15 |work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref>
[[File:Damage in Gaza Strip during the October 2023 - 26.jpg|thumb|El-Remal area in Gaza City on 9 October 2023]]
In March 2008, a coalition of human rights groups charged that the Israeli blockade of the city had caused the humanitarian situation in Gaza to have reached its worst point since Israel occupied the territory in the 1967 Six-Day War,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/03/05/israel.gaza.crisis.ap/index.html |title=Human rights coalition: Gaza at worst since 1967 |access-date=2009-01-19 |date=2008-03-06 |publisher=[[CNN]] |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080506111500/http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/03/05/israel.gaza.crisis.ap/index.html |archive-date = May 6, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> and that Israeli air strikes targeting militants in the densely populated areas have often killed bystanders as well.<ref name="BBCProfile">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5122404.stm |title=Gaza crisis: key maps and timeline |access-date=2009-06-16 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=2009-01-06}}</ref> In 2008, Israel commenced an [[2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict|assault against Gaza]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7811386.stm |title=Gaza conflict: Who is a civilian? |access-date=2009-01-19 |date=2009-01-05 |work=[[BBC News]] | first=Heather | last=Sharp}}</ref> Israel stated the strikes were in response to repetitive rocket and mortar attacks from the Gaza Strip into Israel since 2005, while the Palestinians stated that they were responding to Israel's military incursions and [[blockade of the Gaza Strip]]. In January 2009, at least 1,300 Palestinians were killed in the conflict.<ref name="idf_updated_death_toll">{{cite news |last=Lappin |first=Yaakov |url=http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=137286 |title=IDF releases Cast Lead casualty numbers |work=The Jerusalem Post|date=March 26, 2009 |access-date=6 June 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7835981.stm |title=Rocket salvo tests Gaza ceasefire |access-date=2009-01-19 |date=2009-01-16 |work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref>

In November 2012, after [[Operation Pillar of Defense|a week of conflict]] between Israel and Palestinian militant groups, a ceasefire brokered by Egypt was announced on November 21.<ref>Najjar, Nasser and Lynch, Sarah. [https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2012/11/21/cease-fire-gaza-resident-hope-reaction/1719997/ Cease-fire brings hope to weary residents of Gaza]. ''[[USA Today]]''. 2012-11-21.</ref> In the [[2014 Israel–Gaza conflict]], 2,205 Palestinians (including at least 1,483 civilians) and 71 Israelis (including 66 soldiers) and one foreign national in Israel were killed, according to [[United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs|UN OCHA]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ochaopt.org/content.aspx?id=1010361 |title=Occupied Palestinian territory, Gaza Crisis |work=[[United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs]] |date=15 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725191044/http://www.ochaopt.org/content.aspx?id=1010361 |archive-date=25 July 2015 }}</ref> During the [[2021 Israel–Palestine crisis]], the 13-story Hanadi Tower, which contained a political office of Hamas, was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-05-11|title=Rockets target Tel Aviv after Gaza tower destroyed|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-57066275|access-date=2021-05-12}}</ref>

In 2023, the city was again targeted during the [[Gaza war]]. On 2 November, the [[siege of Gaza City]] started.<ref>{{cite news |date=2 November 2023 |title=IDF chief: Israeli forces have Gaza city surrounded |url=https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-771374 |work=The Jerusalem Post |access-date=12 November 2023}}</ref> As of January 2024, Israel’s offensive has either damaged or destroyed 70–80% of all buildings in northern Gaza.<ref>{{cite news |title=Over 50% of Gaza buildings damaged or destroyed in Israel's bombardment |url=https://www.axios.com/2024/01/14/gaza-building-damage-israel-war |work=Axios |date=5 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The numbers that reveal the extent of the destruction in Gaza |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/08/the-numbers-that-reveal-the-extent-of-the-destruction-in-gaza |work=The Guardian |date=8 January 2024}}</ref> Gaza was left largely deserted, with about only 300,000 people staying in the city.<ref>{{cite web |title=Many Gaza residents remain trapped in the north after short evacuation window |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/11/04/1210645183/israeli-military-announces-brief-window-people-in-northern-gaza-to-flee-south |access-date=8 June 2024 |website=npr.org |publisher=NPR}}</ref> The remaining population was subjected to a [[Gaza humanitarian crisis (2023–present)|humanitarian crisis]] and [[Gaza Strip famine|starvation]] brought on by the war.<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. aid official says famine has begun in northern Gaza |date=11 April 2024 |url=https://www.axios.com/2024/04/11/us-official-famine-northern-gaza |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240412031951/https://www.axios.com/2024/04/11/us-official-famine-northern-gaza |archive-date=12 April 2024 |access-date=24 April 2024}}</ref> Seventy percent of the city was destroyed by airstrikes,<ref>{{cite web |title=Gaza Strip in maps: How life has changed Published |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-20415675 |access-date=8 June 2024 |website=bbc.com |date=22 November 2012 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> and more than 39,000 people were killed in the Strip.<ref name="AJ">{{cite web |title=Israel-Gaza war in maps and charts: Live tracker |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2023/10/9/israel-hamas-war-in-maps-and-charts-live-tracker |access-date=20 May 2024 |website=aljazeera.com |publisher=Aljazeera}}</ref> Israel has been accused of committing a [[Gaza genocide|genocide]] of Palestinians in Gaza during the war, with South Africa [[South Africa's genocide case against Israel|initiating proceedings]] at the [[International Court of Justice]] against Israel.<ref>{{cite web |title=What is South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the ICJ? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67922346 |access-date=3 July 2024 |website=bbc.com |date=10 January 2024 |publisher=BBC}}</ref>