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The '''Gaza Strip''' is a narrow [[coast]]al strip of land that runs along the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. With a population fo of 1.4 million, almost all Arabs (who claim to be "Palestinians"), in an area of only 139 square miles, it is one of the most densely populated areas in the world and has been littered with refugee camps. The strip takes its name from [[Gaza City|Gaza, the main city]].

[[History|Historically]] the Gaza Strip was part of the land controlled by ancient [[Israel]] after the removal of the [[Philistines]]. An Islamic area since the Islamic conquest of the 7th century, it was controlled by the British after [[World War I]] and was to be a part of an independent "Palestinian " state in 1948 based upon a UN partition, but the first Arab-Israeli War saw Israel take most of the region that would have made the Arab state and Egypt absorbed the Gaza Strip, which overflowed with refugees from the war. In 1967 Israel overran the area in the [[Six Day War]] and administered the region. They built settlements, but these never attracted many people and only 10,000 Israelis lived there by 2005 among the PalestiniansArab residents. The Israeli government withdrew, with strong objections from the settlers, leaving the area under the control of the [[Palestinian Authority]]. In 2007, [[Hamas]] overran the Palestinian authority Authority and took ''de facto '' control for themselves.

 Terrorists are still attacking Israel from the Gaza strip with missiles, in . In response to this , Israel is bombarding the strip in order to prevent more threats to its population on the border. On January 3, 2009 Israel has started a ground campaign in Gaza. It was preceded by an artillery barrage to soften the border so Israeli troops could cross safer. The campaign was against Hamas targets and Israel never had any plans to reoccupy the land. Hamas, rather than stop firing rockets into Gaza has begun sabre rattling and stated that they will kidnap and kill invading Israeli soldiers and cause mental illness from the horrors they will bring them. They have also stated that they will begin suicide attacks again.[http://www.onenewsnow.com/Headlines/Default.aspx?id=372854]

The Gaza Strip is currently under the control of [[Hamas]], an Islamist Islamic terrorist organization. Christians face persecution and pressure to convert and have next to no rights.<ref>http://www.opendoorsuk.org/persecution/worldwatch/palestinian_territories.php</ref>