A Short History of the Gaza Strip

By: Anne Irfan

Narrated by: Nadia Albina

One of BBC History Magazine’s Books of the Year

The world’s eyes are on the Gaza Strip. After more than a year of Israeli military bombardment, it is the scene of unimaginable destruction. It is also one of the most politically significant territories on the planet. Yet how many of us know anything of its history?

In this vital book, Anne Irfan, a leading historian of Palestine-Israel, examines six key moments that bring us to the present day. She begins with Israel’s expulsion of the Palestinian people in 1948, when Israel was established and the Gaza region was truncated to a tiny territory of just 141 square miles. Going on to detail Israel’s occupations of Gaza, the Palestinian national struggle and formation of the PLO, the first intifada, the creation of the Palestinian Authority and the rise of Hamas, Irfan argues that, collectively, these events help explain how we have arrived at the catastrophe of the 2020s and the genocidal violence unleashed by Israel in Gaza after the Hamas-led attacks of October 7.

Written with remarkable clarity, A Short History of the Gaza Strip draws on a decade of meticulous research, weaving in the voices and stories of Palestinians from farmers and teachers to poets and activists. It is an indispensable read for anyone seeking to deepen their knowledge of Palestine and the wider region. In Irfan’s words, ‘History matters, especially in Palestine’ – and never more so than today.

Critic reviews

‘A wonderfully informative account of the complexities of the situation. Beginning in 1948, she guides us through these tangled events with great clarity, drawing on a vast array of sources. The text is nuanced, humane and critical at a time when too many assumptions and untruths are floating around’

‘An excellent primer . . . essential reading for those hungry to know more about this ancient territory so as to better understand the current, desperate chapter in its history’

(William Dalrymple)

‘Written with passion, precision and clarity’

‘The restrained clarity of this work provides a much-needed perspective on this fraught and bloody moment in history’

‘In A Short History of the Gaza Strip, Irfan, an academic at London’s University College, explains the pressures building up to the explosion of violence’

‘a timely addition to an important corpus of literature . . . Overall, the book is excellently written, with Irfan providing a detailed and easily accessible history of Gaza’s foundational part in Palestinian resistance. It should be necessary reading for anyone seeking to gain an introductory understanding of some of the complex and contradictory issues that litter the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. Most importantly, it provides Gazans and Palestinians an opportunity to tell their own stories about their life under Israeli occupation’

‘A timely, short, highly informative history that is sure to dispel many of the misconceptions and misinformation circulating and currently widespread about Gaza. It will remind readers of what the area was like and what was lost in the course of Israel's aggression, as well as recognizing Gaza's resilience. It could also help bring to the mind of readers the Gaza that was’ (Raja Shehadeh, author of What Does Israel Fear From Palestine?)

‘In this stunning book, Anne Irfan contextualizes the violence unfolding in Gaza today without losing sight of the humanity of Palestinians. She describes the horrors of history with a nuanced kindness and reminds us that these events are not all that matter – because the Palestinian people that experienced them matter too’ (Nadya Hajj, author of Networked Refugees)

‘Beautifully written, erudite, humane: an essential guide to understanding the way the Israeli settler colonial project in and around Gaza has evolved into a brutal genocide’ (Eyal Weizman, author of Hollow Land: The Architecture of Israel's Occupation)

‘An incredible, informative and powerful book. It tells us that you can’t understand the current destruction of Gaza without going back to the beginning and then does exactly that, in such a readable and devastating way’ (Rachel Shabi, author of Off-White: The Truth About Antisemitism)