The Israelis and the Palestinians are not fighting over the Gaza Strip. There are
presently no Israelis living there and no Israeli military forces stationed there.
The area is presently governed by Hamas, a political/military entity listed by the
US State Department as an international terrorist organization, and with the
explicit, publicly expressed goal of destroying Israel. Weapons and ammunition
are constantly flowing into the area, from Sinai, through tunnels under the
border policed by Egypt, and from time to time, rockets are launched from
inside Gaza and land in civilian neighborhoods in nearby Israeli cities. Also
from time to time, Israel mounts a military operation designed both to take
rocket manufacturing and launching facilities out of operation, and to register
its disapproval of their use. Like, say, the US might do, if, say, rockets launched
from Tijuana were to rain down on residential neighborhoods in San Diego.
No. According to the Oslo Accords in 1993, the Gaza Strip officially belongs to the Palestinian Authority. It is currently occupied by the Hamas Paramilitary/Terrorist Group.
Ironically, the Gaza Strip is the only territory in the entirety of the former Mandate of Palestine (Israel and the Palestinian Territories) that is not actually contested between the Israeli and Palestinian governments. Israel ceded significant control of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority in 1993 and subsequently gave it full control in 2005.The reason that there have been numerous wars in the Gaza Strip is because the Hamas government that currently rules over the Gaza Strip has a policy that peace with Israel is impossible and continues to lash out against Israel. If the Gaza Strip was more willing to behave peacefully with its neighbors (both Egypt and Israel), there would be fewer conflicts in the Gaza Strip. (Even Palestinians are getting tired of Hamas as can be seen in the parody of the "Thank You Hamas" videos.)
No. Hamas is paramilitary, terrorist, welfare, and political organization. (It has several distinct wings.)While the Palestinian Authority has de jure authority over both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, Hamas exerts de facto control in the Gaza Strip. This has led some Egyptian generals to call the Gaza Strip "Hamas-stan" since Hamas rules a strip of territory.
The importance of Operation Cast Lead, also called the Gaza Strip War, is that it was the first major military confrontation between a governing Hamas Party and the Israeli Defense Forces. It resulted in over 1300 Palestinian casualties. It also set the tone for future Israel-Hamas relations, namely that Hamas was less inclined to attack Israel with rockets in the wake of the violence.
Answer 1No, it one of major cities in Palestine.Answer 2Currently the territory is in de facto control of the Militant Hamas Organization which has severed ties with the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. Gaza, by virtue of this is de facto an independent country, although no country recognizes it and most see it as an integral part of any future Palestinian State.
A Hamas Government.Pretty much everything else you can find in Gaza exists in Israel.The reason that Israel is fighting against Gaza has to do with the belligerent attitude and activities of its government. Israel does not want the Gaza Strip to acquire the territory or the people.
Hamas dictatorship which was created by the nation of Israel.
Gaza is in the control of Hamas (a Palestinian group), West Bank is still in the hands of Fatah (another Palestinian group) but Israel is the occupying force in the vast majority of the West Bank.
No. According to the Oslo Accords in 1993, the Gaza Strip officially belongs to the Palestinian Authority. It is currently occupied by the Hamas Paramilitary/Terrorist Group.
Hamas in the Gaza strip Hezbollah in Lebanon
Ironically, the Gaza Strip is the only territory in the entirety of the former Mandate of Palestine (Israel and the Palestinian Territories) that is not actually contested between the Israeli and Palestinian governments. Israel ceded significant control of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority in 1993 and subsequently gave it full control in 2005.The reason that there have been numerous wars in the Gaza Strip is because the Hamas government that currently rules over the Gaza Strip has a policy that peace with Israel is impossible and continues to lash out against Israel. If the Gaza Strip was more willing to behave peacefully with its neighbors (both Egypt and Israel), there would be fewer conflicts in the Gaza Strip. (Even Palestinians are getting tired of Hamas as can be seen in the parody of the "Thank You Hamas" videos.)
Israel invaded the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip from December 2008 to January 2009.
Hamas terrorists
The crisis is in the Gaza strip. Hamas (the domocratically elected terrorist government) has been throwing rockets at Israel, so Israel invaded Gaza and is killing a lot of people.
Hamas militants (equipped with RPG's, Qassam Rockets, and numerous explosive devices) vs. the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) (the IDF are equipped with American weapons and technology).
Israel governed the Gaza Strip under military authority from November 1956 to March 1957 and again from June 1967 to September of 2005. At all other points of time since 1948, the Gaza Strip was under Arab control (be it Egypt, the Palestinian Authority, or Hamas).
Nobody did that, and the Gaza Strip is not part of Israel.