Israel and Gaza Have a Long History of Armed Conflict

Israel and militants in the Gaza Strip have fought a series of armed conflicts in recent years, including some of the wars that have defined recent history in the region.

After occupying Gaza in 1967, Israel agreed to give Palestinians partial self-governance in part of the territory following the signing of the 1993 Oslo peace accords. Israel withdrew its remaining settlers and soldiers from the strip in 2005, paving the way for a policy that increasingly sealed off the enclave from the world.

After years in which Palestinians from Gaza often worked in Israel and moved freely in the country, Gaza has more recently come under blockade by both Israel and Egypt, penning in a territory the size of Washington, D.C., that is now home to more than two million people.