factbook.json/middle-east/gz.json

{
  "Introduction": {
    "Background": {
      "text": "<p>The Gaza Strip has been under the de facto governing authority of the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS) since 2007, and has faced years of conflict, poverty, and humanitarian crises. Inhabited since at least the 15th century B.C., the Gaza Strip area has been dominated by many different peoples and empires throughout its history; it was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in the early 16th century. The Gaza Strip fell to British forces during World War I, becoming a part of the British Mandate of Palestine. Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Egypt administered the newly formed Gaza Strip; Israel captured it in the Six-Day War in 1967. Under a series of agreements known as the Oslo accords signed between 1993 and 1999, Israel transferred to the newly-created Palestinian Authority (PA) security and civilian responsibility for many Palestinian-populated areas of the Gaza Strip as well as the West Bank.</p> <p>In 2000, a violent intifada or uprising began, and in 2001 negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West bank and Gaza Strip stalled. Subsequent attempts to re-start negotiations have not resulted in progress toward determining final status of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel in late 2005 unilaterally withdrew all of its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip, but it continues to control the Gaza Strip’s land and maritime borders and airspace. In early 2006, HAMAS won a majority in the Palestinian Legislative Council election. Fatah, the dominant Palestinian political faction in the West Bank, and HAMAS failed to maintain a unity government, leading to violent clashes between their respective supporters and HAMAS’s violent seizure of all PA military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip in June 2007. Since HAMAS’s takeover, Israel and Egypt have enforced tight restrictions on movement and access of goods and individuals into and out of the territory. Fatah and HAMAS have since reached a series of agreements aimed at restoring political unity between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank but have struggled to enact them.</p> <p>Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip and the Israel Defense Forces periodically exchange projectiles and air strikes, respectively, threatening broader conflict. In May 2021, HAMAS launched rockets at Israel, sparking an 11-day conflict that also involved other Gaza-based militant groups. Egypt, Qatar, and the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process have negotiated ceasefires to avert a broader conflict. Since 2018, HAMAS has also coordinated demonstrations along the Gaza-Israel security fence. Many of these protests have turned violent, resulting in several Israeli soldiers’ deaths and injuries as well as more than 200 Palestinian deaths and thousands of injuries, most of which occurred during weekly March of Return protests from 2018 to the end of 2019. </p>"
    }
  },
  "Geography": {
    "Location": {
      "text": "Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Israel"
    },
    "Geographic coordinates": {
      "text": "31 25 N, 34 20 E"
    },
    "Map references": {
      "text": "Middle East"
    },
    "Area": {
      "total": {
        "text": "360 sq km"
      },
      "land": {
        "text": "360 sq km"
      },
      "water": {
        "text": "0 sq km"
      }
    },
    "Area - comparative": {
      "text": "slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC"
    },
    "Land boundaries": {
      "total": {
        "text": "72 km"
      },
      "border countries": {
        "text": "Egypt 13 km; Israel 59 km"
      }
    },
    "Coastline": {
      "text": "40 km"
    },
    "Maritime claims": {
      "text": "see entry for Israel <p><strong>note:</strong> effective 3 January 2009, the Gaza maritime area is closed to all maritime traffic and is under blockade imposed by Israeli Navy until further notice</p>"
    },
    "Climate": {
      "text": "temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers"
    },
    "Terrain": {
      "text": "flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain"
    },
    "Elevation": {
      "highest point": {
        "text": "Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Awdah) 105 m"
      },
      "lowest point": {
        "text": "Mediterranean Sea 0 m"
      }
    },
    "Natural resources": {
      "text": "arable land, natural gas"
    },
    "Irrigated land": {
      "text": "240 sq km; note - includes the West Bank (2012)"
    },
    "Population distribution": {
      "text": "population concentrated in major cities, particularly Gaza City in the north"
    },
    "Natural hazards": {
      "text": "droughts"
    },
    "Geography - note": {
      "text": "once a strategic strip of land along Mideast-North African trade routes that has experienced an incredibly turbulent history; the town of Gaza itself has been besieged countless times in its history; Israel evacuated its civilian settlements and soldiers from the Gaza Strip in 2005"
    }
  },
  "People and Society": {
    "Population": {
      "text": "1,997,328 (2022 est.)"
    },
    "Nationality": {
      "noun": {
        "text": "NA"
      },
      "adjective": {
        "text": "NA"
      }
    },
    "Ethnic groups": {
      "text": "Palestinian Arab"
    },
    "Languages": {
      "Languages": {
        "text": "Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by many Palestinians), English (widely understood)"
      },
      "major-language sample(s)": {
        "text": "<br>كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)<br><br>The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information."
      }
    },
    "Religions": {
      "text": "Muslim 98.0 - 99.0% (predominantly Sunni), Christian &lt;1.0%, other, unaffiliated, unspecified &lt;1.0% (2012 est.)",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong>  Israel dismantled its settlements in September 2005; Gaza has had no Jewish population since then"
    },
    "Age structure": {
      "0-14 years": {
        "text": "42.53% (male 418,751/female 397,013)"
      },
      "15-24 years": {
        "text": "21.67% (male 210,240/female 205,385)"
      },
      "25-54 years": {
        "text": "29.47% (male 275,976/female 289,277)"
      },
      "55-64 years": {
        "text": "3.66% (male 36,409/female 33,731)"
      },
      "65 years and over": {
        "text": "2.68% (male 27,248/female 24,191) (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Dependency ratios": {
      "total dependency ratio": {
        "text": "71.2"
      },
      "youth dependency ratio": {
        "text": "65.7"
      },
      "elderly dependency ratio": {
        "text": "5.5"
      },
      "potential support ratio": {
        "text": "18.2 (2020 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank"
    },
    "Median age": {
      "total": {
        "text": "18 years"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "17.7 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "18.4 years (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Population growth rate": {
      "text": "2.02% (2022 est.)"
    },
    "Birth rate": {
      "text": "27.67 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)"
    },
    "Death rate": {
      "text": "2.91 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)"
    },
    "Net migration rate": {
      "text": "-4.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)"
    },
    "Population distribution": {
      "text": "population concentrated in major cities, particularly Gaza City in the north"
    },
    "Urbanization": {
      "urban population": {
        "text": "77.3% of total population (2022)"
      },
      "rate of urbanization": {
        "text": "2.85% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank"
    },
    "Major urban areas - population": {
      "text": "756,000 Gaza (2022)"
    },
    "Sex ratio": {
      "at birth": {
        "text": "1.06 male(s)/female"
      },
      "0-14 years": {
        "text": "1.05 male(s)/female"
      },
      "15-24 years": {
        "text": "1.03 male(s)/female"
      },
      "25-54 years": {
        "text": "0.94 male(s)/female"
      },
      "55-64 years": {
        "text": "1.07 male(s)/female"
      },
      "65 years and over": {
        "text": "0.94 male(s)/female"
      },
      "total population": {
        "text": "1.02 male(s)/female (2022 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Maternal mortality ratio": {
      "text": "27 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank"
    },
    "Infant mortality rate": {
      "total": {
        "text": "15.23 deaths/1,000 live births"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "16.4 deaths/1,000 live births"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "13.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2022 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Life expectancy at birth": {
      "total population": {
        "text": "75.4 years"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "73.65 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "77.25 years (2022 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Total fertility rate": {
      "text": "3.44 children born/woman (2022 est.)"
    },
    "Contraceptive prevalence rate": {
      "text": "57.3% (2019/20)",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong>  includes Gaza Strip and West Bank"
    },
    "Drinking water source": {
      "improved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 98.9% of population"
      },
      "improved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 99% of population"
      },
      "improved: total": {
        "text": "total: 98.9% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 1.1% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 1% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: total": {
        "text": "total: 1.1% of population (2020 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank"
    },
    "Current Health Expenditure": {
      "text": "NA"
    },
    "Physicians density": {
      "text": "2.77 physicians/1,000 population (2018)"
    },
    "Hospital bed density": {
      "text": "1.3 beds/1,000 population (2019)"
    },
    "Sanitation facility access": {
      "improved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 99.9% of population"
      },
      "improved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 98.6% of population"
      },
      "improved: total": {
        "text": "total: 99.6% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 0.1% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 1.4% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: total": {
        "text": "total: 0.4% of population (2020 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> note includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank"
    },
    "HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate": {
      "text": "NA"
    },
    "HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS": {
      "text": "NA"
    },
    "HIV/AIDS - deaths": {
      "text": "NA"
    },
    "Major infectious diseases": {
      "text": "<p><strong>note: </strong>on 21 March 2022, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Asia; the Gaza Strip is currently considered a high risk to travelers for polio; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine</p>"
    },
    "Children under the age of 5 years underweight": {
      "text": "2.1% (2019/20)",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> estimate is for Gaza Strip and the West Bank"
    },
    "Child marriage": {
      "women married by age 15": {
        "text": "0.7% Includes both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank (2020)"
      },
      "women married by age 18": {
        "text": "13.4% Includes both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Education expenditures": {
      "text": "5.3% of GDP (2018)",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank"
    },
    "Literacy": {
      "definition": {
        "text": "age 15 and over can read and write"
      },
      "total population": {
        "text": "97.5%"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "98.8%"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "96.2% (2020)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> estimates are for Gaza Strip and the West Bank"
    },
    "School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)": {
      "total": {
        "text": "13 years"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "12 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "14 years (2020)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank"
    },
    "Unemployment, youth ages 15-24": {
      "total": {
        "text": "42.1%"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "36.6%"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "70% (2020 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> includes the West Bank"
    }
  },
  "Environment": {
    "Environment - current issues": {
      "text": "soil degradation; desertification; water pollution from chemicals and pesticides; salination of fresh water; improper sewage treatment; water-borne disease; depletion and contamination of underground water resources"
    },
    "Air pollutants": {
      "carbon dioxide emissions": {
        "text": "3.23 megatons (2016 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> data represent combined total from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank."
    },
    "Climate": {
      "text": "temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers"
    },
    "Urbanization": {
      "urban population": {
        "text": "77.3% of total population (2022)"
      },
      "rate of urbanization": {
        "text": "2.85% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank"
    },
    "Revenue from forest resources": {
      "forest revenues": {
        "text": "0% of GDP (2018 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Major infectious diseases": {
      "text": "<p><strong>note: </strong>on 21 March 2022, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Asia; the Gaza Strip is currently considered a high risk to travelers for polio; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine</p>"
    },
    "Waste and recycling": {
      "municipal solid waste generated annually": {
        "text": "1.387 million tons (2016 est.)"
      },
      "municipal solid waste recycled annually": {
        "text": "6,935 tons (2013 est.)"
      },
      "percent of municipal solid waste recycled": {
        "text": "0.5% (2013 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> data represent combined total from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank."
    },
    "Total water withdrawal": {
      "municipal": {
        "text": "181.2 million cubic meters (2017 est.)"
      },
      "industrial": {
        "text": "32 million cubic meters (2017 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural": {
        "text": "162 million cubic meters (2017 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> data represent combined total from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank."
    },
    "Total renewable water resources": {
      "text": "837 million cubic meters (2017 est.)",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> data represent combined total from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank."
    }
  },
  "Government": {
    "Country name": {
      "conventional long form": {
        "text": "none"
      },
      "conventional short form": {
        "text": "Gaza Strip"
      },
      "local long form": {
        "text": "none"
      },
      "local short form": {
        "text": "Qita' Ghazzah"
      },
      "etymology": {
        "text": "named for the largest city in the enclave, Gaza, whose settlement can be traced back to at least the 15th century B.C. (as \"Ghazzat\")"
      }
    }
  },
  "Economy": {
    "Economic overview": {
      "text": "<p>Movement and access restrictions, violent attacks, and the slow pace of post-conflict reconstruction continue to degrade economic conditions in the Gaza Strip, the smaller of the two areas comprising the Palestinian territories. Israeli controls became more restrictive after HAMAS seized control of the territory in June 2007. Under Hamas control, Gaza has suffered from rising unemployment, elevated poverty rates, and a sharp contraction of the private sector, which had relied primarily on export markets.</p><p></p><p>Since April 2017, the Palestinian Authority has reduced payments for electricity supplied to Gaza and cut salaries for its employees there, exacerbating poor economic conditions. Since 2014, Egypt’s crackdown on the Gaza Strip’s extensive tunnel-based smuggling network has exacerbated fuel, construction material, and consumer goods shortages in the territory. Donor support for reconstruction following the 51-day conflict in 2014 between Israel and HAMAS and other Gaza-based militant groups has fallen short of post-conflict needs.</p>"
    },
    "Real GDP (purchasing power parity)": {
      "text": "<p>see entry for the West Bank</p>"
    },
    "Real GDP growth rate": {
      "Real GDP growth rate 2014": {
        "text": "-15.2% (2014 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP growth rate 2013": {
        "text": "5.6% (2013 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP growth rate 2012": {
        "text": "7% (2012 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> excludes the West Bank"
    },
    "Real GDP per capita": {
      "Real GDP per capita 2019": {
        "text": "$6,220 (2019 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP per capita 2018": {
        "text": "$6,318 (2018 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP per capita 2017": {
        "text": "$6,402 (2017 est.)"
      },
      "note": "see entry for the the West Bank"
    },
    "GDP (official exchange rate)": {
      "text": "$2.938 billion (2014 est.)",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> excludes the West Bank"
    },
    "Inflation rate (consumer prices)": {
      "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017": {
        "text": "0.2% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2016": {
        "text": "-0.2% (2016 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> excludes the West Bank"
    },
    "GDP - composition, by sector of origin": {
      "agriculture": {
        "text": "3% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "industry": {
        "text": "21.1% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "services": {
        "text": "75% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> data exclude the West Bank"
    },
    "GDP - composition, by end use": {
      "household consumption": {
        "text": "88.6% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "government consumption": {
        "text": "26.3% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "investment in fixed capital": {
        "text": "22.4% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "investment in inventories": {
        "text": "0% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "exports of goods and services": {
        "text": "18.6% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "imports of goods and services": {
        "text": "-55.6% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> data exclude the West Bank"
    },
    "Agricultural products": {
      "text": "tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, poultry, milk, potatoes, sheep milk, eggplants, gourds"
    },
    "Industries": {
      "text": "textiles, food processing, furniture"
    },
    "Industrial production growth rate": {
      "text": "2.2% (2017 est.)",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> see entry for the West Bank"
    },
    "Labor force": {
      "text": "1.24 million (2017 est.)",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> excludes the West Bank"
    },
    "Labor force - by occupation": {
      "agriculture": {
        "text": "5.2%"
      },
      "industry": {
        "text": "10%"
      },
      "services": {
        "text": "84.8% (2015 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> data exclude the West Bank"
    },
    "Unemployment rate": {
      "Unemployment rate 2017": {
        "text": "27.9% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "Unemployment rate 2016": {
        "text": "27% (2016 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> data exclude the West Bank"
    },
    "Unemployment, youth ages 15-24": {
      "total": {
        "text": "42.1%"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "36.6%"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "70% (2020 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> includes the West Bank"
    },
    "Population below poverty line": {
      "text": "30% (2011 est.)",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> data exclude the West Bank"
    },
    "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income": {
      "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2016": {
        "text": "33.7 (2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Budget": {
      "text": "see entry for the West Bank"
    },
    "Fiscal year": {
      "text": "calendar year"
    },
    "Current account balance": {
      "Current account balance 2017": {
        "text": "-$1.444 billion (2017 est.)"
      },
      "Current account balance 2016": {
        "text": "-$1.348 billion (2016 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> excludes the West Bank"
    },
    "Exports": {
      "Exports 2017": {
        "text": "$1.955 billion (2017 est.)"
      },
      "Exports 2016": {
        "text": "$1.827 billion (2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Exports - commodities": {
      "text": "strawberries, carnations, vegetables, fish (small and irregular shipments, as permitted to transit the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing)"
    },
    "Imports": {
      "Imports 2018": {
        "text": "$8.59 billion (2018 est.)"
      },
      "Imports 2017": {
        "text": "$7.852 billion (2017 est.)"
      },
      "note": "see entry for the West Bank"
    },
    "Imports - commodities": {
      "text": "food, consumer goods, fuel"
    },
    "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold": {
      "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2017": {
        "text": "$446.3 million (31 December 2017 est.)"
      },
      "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2015": {
        "text": "$583 million (31 December 2015 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Debt - external": {
      "text": "<p>see entry for the West Bank</p>"
    },
    "Exchange rates": {
      "text": "<p>see entry for the West Bank</p>"
    }
  },
  "Energy": {
    "Electricity access": {
      "electrification - total population": {
        "text": "100% (2018)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> data for Gaza Strip and West Bank combined"
    },
    "Electricity - production": {
      "text": "51,000 kWh (2011 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - consumption": {
      "text": "202,000 kWh (2009 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - exports": {
      "text": "0 kWh (2011 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - imports": {
      "text": "193,000 kWh (2011 est.)"
    },
    "Crude oil - proved reserves": {
      "text": "0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)"
    }
  },
  "Communications": {
    "Telephones - fixed lines": {
      "total subscriptions": {
        "text": "472,293 (includes the West Bank); (July 2016 est.)"
      },
      "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": {
        "text": "9 (includes the West Bank); (July 2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Telephones - mobile cellular": {
      "total subscriptions": {
        "text": "4,135,363 (includes the West Bank)"
      },
      "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": {
        "text": "76 (includes the West Bank) (2017 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Telecommunication systems": {
      "general assessment": {
        "text": "Israel has final say in allocating frequencies in the Gaza Strip and does not permit anything beyond a 2G network (2018)"
      },
      "domestic": {
        "text": "Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for fixed-line services; the Palestinian JAWWAL company provides cellular services; a slow 2G network allows calls and limited data transmission; fixed-line 9 per 100 and mobile-cellular 76 per 100 (includes West Bank)"
      },
      "international": {
        "text": "country code 970 or 972 (2018)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments"
    },
    "Broadcast media": {
      "text": "1 TV station and about 10 radio stations; satellite TV accessible"
    },
    "Internet country code": {
      "text": ".psnote - same as the West Bank"
    },
    "Internet users": {
      "total": {
        "text": "2.673 million (includes the West Bank)"
      },
      "percent of population": {
        "text": "57.4% (July 2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Broadband - fixed subscriptions": {
      "total": {
        "text": "320,500"
      },
      "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": {
        "text": "14 (2016 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> includes West Bank"
    }
  },
  "Transportation": {
    "Airports": {
      "total": {
        "text": "1 (2021)"
      }
    },
    "Airports - with paved runways": {
      "total": {
        "text": "1"
      },
      "under 914 m": {
        "text": "1 (2021)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note</strong> - non-operational"
    },
    "Heliports": {
      "text": "1 (2021)"
    },
    "Roadways": {
      "text": "<p><strong>note:</strong> see entry for the West Bank</p>"
    },
    "Ports and terminals": {
      "major seaport(s)": {
        "text": "Gaza"
      }
    }
  },
  "Military and Security": {
    "Military and security forces": {
      "text": "HAMAS does not have a conventional military in the Gaza Strip but maintains security forces in addition to its military wing, the 'Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades; the military wing reports to the HAMAS Political Bureau; there are several other militant groups operating in the Gaza Strip, most notably the Al-Quds Brigades of Palestine Islamic Jihad, which are usually but not always beholden to HAMAS's authority (2021)"
    },
    "Military expenditures": {
      "text": "not available"
    },
    "Military and security service personnel strengths": {
      "text": "the military wing of HAMAS has an estimated 20-25,000 fighters (2021)"
    },
    "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": {
      "text": "the military wing of HAMAS is armed with light weapons, including an inventory of improvised rocket, anti-tank missile, and mortar capabilities; HAMAS acquires its weapons through smuggling or local construction and receives some military support from Iran (2021)"
    },
    "Military - note": {
      "text": "<p>since seizing control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, HAMAS has claimed responsibility for numerous rocket attacks into Israel and organized protests at the border between Gaza and Israel, resulting in violent clashes, casualties, and reprisal military actions by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF); HAMAS and Israel fought an 11-day conflict in May of 2021, which ended in an informal truce; sporadic clashes continued through 2021, including incendiary balloon attacks from Gaza and retaliatory IDF strikes; Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ) has conducted numerous attacks on Israel since the 1980s, including a barrage of mortar and rocket strikes in 2020, also prompting IDF counter-strikes; see Appendix-T for more details on HAMAS and PIJ</p>"
    }
  },
  "Terrorism": {
    "Terrorist group(s)": {
      "text": "Army of Islam; Abdallah Azzam Brigades; al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade; HAMAS; Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Qods Force; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)-Sinai Province; Mujahidin Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem; Palestine Islamic Jihad; Palestine Liberation Front; PFLP-General Command; Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in Appendix-T"
    }
  },
  "Transnational Issues": {
    "Disputes - international": {
      "text": "<p>according to the Oslo Accords, the status of the Gaza Strip is a final status issue to be resolved through negotiations; Israel removed settlers and military personnel from Gaza Strip in September 2005</p>"
    },
    "Refugees and internally displaced persons": {
      "refugees (country of origin)": {
        "text": "1,476,706 (Palestinian refugees) (2020)"
      },
      "IDPs": {
        "text": "131,000 (includes persons displaced within the Gaza Strip due to the intensification of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since June 2014 and other Palestinian IDPs in the Gaza Strip and West Bank who fled as long ago as 1967, although confirmed cumulative data do not go back beyond 2006) (2020)"
      },
      "note": "data represent Gaza Strip and West Bank"
    }
  }
}