Gaza is a coastal strip of land that lay on ancient trading and maritime routes along the Mediterranean shore. It has been inhabited for thousands of years and fought over by many - including Egyptian Pharaohs, Babylonians, Philistines, and Alexander the Great who besieged and captured Gaza City, killing the men and enslaving women and children.
But that never happened. Israel accused the Palestinians of reneging on security agreements, and Palestinians were angered by continued Israeli settlement building. Hamas and Islamic Jihad carried out bombings to try to derail the peace process, leading Israel to impose more restrictions on movement of Palestinians out of Gaza. Hamas also picked up on growing Palestinian criticisms of corruption, nepotism and economic mismanagement by Arafat's inner circle.