Gaza Strip
The Gaza Strip is a small coastal Palestinian territory on the Mediterranean, bordered by Israel and Egypt, that was under Israeli occupation from 1967 to 2005 and is governed by Hamas since 2007; it appears in this vault primarily as the home territory of Palestinian factions referenced in the vault's Israeli intelligence and Mossad operational subjects.
The Gaza Strip is a narrow coastal territory on the eastern Mediterranean, approximately 41 kilometers long and 6-12 kilometers wide, bordered by Israel to the north and east, Egypt to the southwest, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. With a population of approximately 2.3 million people in approximately 365 square kilometers, it is one of the most densely populated territories in the world. Gaza was held by Egypt from 1948 to 1967 and was captured by Israel in the Six-Day War of June 1967, which also produced the Israeli occupation of the West Bank.1
Israeli Occupation and Intelligence Operations
Shin Bet's operations in Gaza during the 1967-2005 occupation period were extensive and included the running of Palestinian informants, the suppression of PLO and later Hamas activity, the management of the civilian population under military administration, and targeted killing operations. Gaza was the territorial base for multiple PLO factions and later for Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas, making it a primary focus of Israeli counterterrorism operations.
The First Intifada (1987-1993), which began in Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp in December 1987, prompted intensive Shin Bet operations and produced policy debates within Israel that included the authorized use of coercive interrogation. Shin Bet's "Bus 300 affair" (April 1984) - in which Shin Bet officers killed two Palestinian bus hijackers who had been captured alive, and the Shin Bet director subsequently lied to the Prime Minister's commission investigating the incident - was one of the most consequential internal Israeli intelligence scandals and is referenced in multiple vault sources.2
Oslo Accords and PA Rule
Under the 1993 Oslo Accords, Israel transferred nominal civilian control of Gaza (and later most of the West Bank) to the newly created Palestinian Authority (PA). The PA's security apparatus in Gaza was headed by Mohammed Dahlan, whose Preventive Security service in Gaza cooperated with Shin Bet and the CIA on counterterrorism against Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The cooperation was intimate enough to create serious political tensions within Palestinian politics.1
Israel completed a unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, including the removal of all Israeli settlements and military forces, in August-September 2005 under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. The PA's Fatah faction subsequently lost control of Gaza to Hamas in a violent conflict in June 2007; Hamas has governed the territory since.2
Sources
Local network
Gaza Strip's direct connections. Click any node to navigate, drag to pan, scroll (or pinch) to zoom. + 2‑hop expands the neighborhood one level further.