The Gaza Strip is a small area bordering Israel and Egypt on the Mediterranean Sea, and it is one of two Palestinian territories. Here is a brief history of the Gaza Strip:

• 1949-1956: The Gaza Strip was under Egyptian military rule, and the areas chief economic and social problem was the presence of large numbers of Palestinian Arab refugees living in extreme poverty in squalid camps.

• 1967-1994: In the Six-Day War of June 1967, the Gaza Strip was taken by Israel, which occupied the region for the next quarter century. Israel transferred security and civilian responsibility for much of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank to the Palestinian Authority between 1994 and 1999.

• 2005-present: In late 2005, Israel withdrew all of its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip, but continues to control maritime, airspace, and other access. In early 2006, the Islamic Resistance Movement, HAMAS, won the Palestinian Legislative Council election and took control of the PA government. Brief periods of increased violence between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip in 2007-08 and again in 2012, led to Egyptian-brokered truces. The status quo remains with HAMAS in control of the Gaza Strip and the PA governing the West Bank.

Currently, Israel is at war with the Palestinian militant group Hamas, and the conflict between the two sides has escalated in recent days.