In 2005 the people of Gaza had a great opportunity for a new future filled with hope and potential. Israel, which had been occupying the strip for 38 years, withdrew, thereby allowing the people of Gaza to govern themselves. But they blew it.

The story of Gaza begins many years earlier. For centuries during the Ottoman era, Gaza was merely a small part of the region of Filastin (Palestine). At its height during the 16th Century the Ottoman Empire was vast, controlling much of Central Europe, the Middle East, and Northern Africa. But by the late 19th Century the Empire was crumbling.

Meanwhile, in the Russian Empire, the assassination of Tsar Alexander II in 1881 led to violent pogroms against the Jews, who were falsely blamed for the crime. To avoid the pogroms, Jewish families were constantly moving, as portrayed in the poignant musical Fiddler on the Roof. Some sought safety in Palestine, the Jewish homeland for nearly three millennia, since King David ruled in the 10th Century BC.

Following the first world war, the German-allied Ottoman Empire collapsed. The newly-formed League of Nations divided its territories into new states including: the French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon, the British Mandate for Mesopotamia (later Iraq), and the British Mandate for Palestine. The Muslim Arabs in these regions actually helped Britain defeat the oppressive Ottomans, as portrayed in the epic film Lawrence of Arabia.

During the British Mandate, Jews continued to migrate to the Palestine region where they bought land for new settlements and urban developments. By 1947, about 630,000 Jews lived alongside some 1.2 million Arabs.

Following increasing tensions and violence between Arabs and Jews, Britain wished to withdraw from Palestine. On November 29, 1947, the United Nations adopted a Partition Plan that split the region into two states: an Arab state and a Jewish state. While this was accepted by the Jews, it was rejected by the Arabs, and the plan was not implemented. It was an opportunity repudiated.

The evening before the British Mandate expired, at midnight on May 14, 1948, the Jewish People’s Council proclaimed the State of Israel. The following day, the surrounding Arab States invaded Palestine, beginning the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. This resulted in Gaza being occupied by Egypt for the next 19 years.

The Muslim Arabs who had fled the new State of Israel, could have been accepted by Egypt as migrants. But Egypt refused, instead leaving them to languish as stateless refugees. How different was the experience of the Vietnamese refugees who fled their country following the communist victory in Vietnam? They were accepted as migrants in Australia and other countries, where they developed successful lives.

The callous refusal by Egypt and other Arab countries to resettle Palestinian refugees in their countries has left millions in poverty. The refugee camps generally lack adequate water, sanitation, and housing. They breed crime, violence, and radical militant groups that foment hatred of Israel and Jews.

A blockade of Israeli trade in the Red Sea by Egypt in 1967 triggered the Six-Day War between Israel and surrounding Arab States. It ended with Israel in control of Gaza. This control continued for the following 38 years. When Israel withdrew from Gaza in September 2005, the Strip had been controlled by the Ottoman Empire for centuries, and by Britain, Egypt, and Israel for decades. Now it had a new opportunity to plan and develop its own future.

Before Israel’s withdrawal, the Palestinian Authority had partial civil control of Gaza, under the Fatah (Palestinian National Liberation Movement) political party, led by Mahmoud Abbas. Its first task following Israel’s withdrawal was to arrange fresh elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council. These were held on January 25, 2006.

The incumbent Fatah party, that had dominated the Palestinian Authority since its inception, was challenged by the Islamist group Hamas. The mood of people in Gaza during the election campaign is reflected in the comments of Khan Yunis mother of seven, Samira Muhammad, who said:

‘Our children are playing in the rubble. They fall and hurt themselves. It’s typical of Fatah and the Palestinian Authority. They don’t do anything. Maybe Hamas will. I’m sick of Fatah. There is so much corruption. We have to try Hamas. We can’t say if they will be better but we have to try.’

The result was decisive. Hamas won a massive 74 seats, and Fatah was reduced to a mere 45. Problems soon arose when Hamas declared its support for terrorism against Israel, utterly contrary to the desires of the Palestinian people: an exit poll of voters in the 2006 election showed 80 per cent support for a peace agreement with Israel.

This led to a serious breach of law and order, with open violence between Hamas and Fatah supporters. In the Gaza Strip it turned into a civil war that ended when Hamas took control in a military coup. For the past 18 years, Hamas has ruled Gaza by brute force. It has maintained a terrorist campaign against Israel, culminating in the attack on October 7, 2023 when some 1,200 Israeli men, women and children were brutally raped and murdered, and over 250 were taken hostage.

Hamas is listed as a terrorist organisation by many countries including Australia. It operates under the 1988 Hamas Covenant which proclaims jihad against Jews as required until Judgement Day. Article 7 dedicates Hamas to genocide against the Jewish people.

Hamas could end the war tomorrow by releasing the remaining Israeli hostages and laying down its arms, yet it continues to reject every opportunity to do so.

Hamas has a lot to answer for.

Dr David Phillips is a former research scientist and founder of FamilyVoice Australia