The ceasefire in the Gaza
Strip has held through its second day, as thousands of displaced Palestinians
in the besieged enclave returned to their homes to check for damage after 11
days of relentless Israeli bombardment.
Palestinian officials on Friday said it would cost $100m to
rebuild the damage to industry, power and agriculture in the already
impoverished territory struggling under a devastating 14-year blockade. More than 80,000 Palestinians lost their home.
Since 2008, Israel has waged four wars on the Palestinian territory, killing
thousands of people, mostly civilians. During Israel’s latest offensive on
Gaza, Israeli attacks damaged at least 51 education facilities, including 46
schools, two kindergartens, an UNRWA (The United Nations Relief and Works
Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) training centre, and parts of
the Islamic University of Gaza, according to the United Nations’ latest humanitarian report.
At least 66,000 people are still sheltering in 58 UN-run schools across the
Gaza Strip.
Israeli raids also damaged at least six hospitals and 11 primary healthcare
centres, including Gaza’s only COVID-19 testing laboratory that was left
inoperable following an Israeli attack that hit a nearby building on May 17.
Gaza’s electricity network also suffered damage, leading to 20-21 hours of
daily power outages. This has affected water and sanitation facilities across
the strip, leaving at least 250,000 people without access to drinking water.
Gaza has a population of about 2.1 million people living in five
governorates – North Gaza, Gaza City, Deir al-Balah, Khan Yunis, and Rafah.
Bordered by Israel and Egypt on the Mediterranean coast, the strip is about 365
square kilometres (141sq miles) – about the size of Cape Town, Detroit, or
Lucknow. At only 41km (25 miles) long, it can take less than an hour to drive
from Rafah in the south to Beit Hanoun in the north.
In the following series of maps, Al Jazeera takes you on a journey across
Gaza’s five governorates highlighting key locations including hospitals,
schools, universities, UN compounds, refugee camps, crossings and other vital
infrastructure.
North Gaza
The district of North Gaza shares a 10km-long (six-mile-long) border with
Israel. The Gaza Strip is surrounded by a heavily fortified perimeter
consisting of a concrete wall and double-wired fencing. Anyone who steps within
one kilometre (0.6 miles) of this barrier is in danger of being shot by the
Israeli army, which patrols Gaza’s northern and eastern borders.
The Erez crossing, managed by the Israeli army, is
Gaza’s only northern crossing into Israel. From there, Palestinians with
special permits – usually for urgent medical treatment – are allowed to leave
Gaza on their way to Jerusalem or the West Bank. Gaza is only a 100-km
(60-mile) drive to Jerusalem but because of tight security measures, this
journey can take several hours. Since 2007, Israel has imposed a sea and air
blockade of Gaza.
North Gaza is home to the largest refugee camp in the
Strip. The Jabalia refugee camp covers an area of 1.4sq km
(0.5sq miles), and with a population of 114,000 people is one of the most
densely populated places on Earth.
Gaza City
Gaza City is the largest and most populous city within the Gaza Strip, with
about 700,000 residents. Rimal, Shujaiya and Tel al-Hawa are among its most
well-known neighbourhoods.
At the heart of the Rimal neighbourhood is Al Shifa Hospital – the largest
medical facility in the Gaza Strip. Intensive care units there are desperately
overcrowded and are “having lots of difficulties in running equipment”, Gaza
journalist Youmna al-Sayed reported on Thursday.
Surrounding the hospital are several UN compounds including UNRWA (The
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near
East), UNSCO (The office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the
Middle East Peace Process) and UNDP (UN Development Programme) compounds.
Gaza’s top universities – including the Islamic University of Gaza, Al Azhar
University and the Al Aqsa University, which are just a few hundred metres
apart – are also located in the Rimal neighbourhood.
The Shati refugee camp, also known as Beach Camp, is located along Gaza’s
Mediterranean coastline and is the third-largest out of the Gaza Strip’s eight
camps.
Deir el-Balah
Named after the “Monastery of the Date Palm”, Deir el-Balah is one of
Gaza’s largest agricultural producers. It is also home to four refugee camps;
Nuseirat, Al Bureij, Al Maghazi and Deir el-Balah.
Gaza’s only operating power plant is located along the district’s boundary
with Gaza City. For the past 10 years, the Gaza Strip has suffered from chronic
electricity shortages, which have severely affected its ability to provide
essential services including health, water and sanitation services,
manufacturing and agriculture.
Only 5 percent of Gaza’s water is safe to drink and 68 percent of its
population suffer from food insecurity, according to the UN.
Khan Yunis
The district of Khan Yunis is home to 400,00 people. At its centre is the
Khan Yunis refugee camp, home to about 87,000 people.
In 2005, nearly 8,000 Jewish settlers and Israeli troops living in 21
settlements around Gaza were relocated mostly to the occupied West Bank
following a decision by then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to
unilaterally disengage from the Gaza Strip. Most of these settlements were in
Khan Yunis
Israel claimed its occupation of Gaza since 1967 has ended as it has
pulled its troops and settlers from the territory but international law views
Gaza as occupied territory because Israel has full control over Gaza’s borders,
airspace and territorial waters.
Rafah is the southernmost district of Gaza with a population of 250,000
people. The district is best known for the crossing with Egypt that bears its
name.
In 2020, the Rafah crossing and the Erez crossing into Israel were only
open for 125 days, according to the UN. Palestinians who wish to leave must
apply for a limited number of passes to leave the Gaza Strip. This process may
take weeks or months, depending on the status of the border.
Those who are able to get through the Rafah crossing must then make a
six-to-eight-hour journey through the Sinai Desert passing several Egyptian
checkpoints on their way to Cairo, 400km (250 miles) away. Rafah’s second
crossing into Egypt is the Salah al-Din gate used for transporting goods.
The third crossing from Rafah is the Israeli-controlled Karem Abu Salem
(Kerem Shalom) crossing. On May 18, it temporarily opened to allow the passage
of humanitarian and commercial cargo. However, only five of the 24 permitted
trucks were allowed through before it was prematurely closed.
Gaza has no functional airports after Israel bombed and demolished the
Yasser Arafat International Airport in 2001, only three years after it opened.
Gaza again is the scene of widespread destruction and human suffering and
remains the place often described as “the world’s largest open-air prison”.
Gaza Fights for Freedom
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