In outlining chronologically the political history of Gaza, Filiu also manages to bring forth the immense human suffering as he details Israel’s handling of the Gaza strip. As he writes in his Foreword, “The ‘Gaza Strip’ as it is today is not so much a geographical entity as the product of the tormented and tragic history of a territory. Therefore, it’s not without reason that the Gaza Strip is widely referred to as “the largest open-air prison in the world” amidst Israel’s quest for its own security in a hostile region.
In fact, the author contends in the Afterword to the Second Edition (written post the October 7, 2023, strike by Hamas) that the latest Israel-Gaza conflict is perpetuating three Gazan impasses—Israeli, humanitarian, and Palestinian. In the case of the Israeli impasse, he argues that it “stems from the refusal to approach Gaza from any perspective other than Israel’s security, ignoring both the political dynamics and the human reality within the enclave itself”.
Beginning with the history of Gaza, coveted down the ages by various powers for its strategic location, with “its ownership transferred from one empire to another”, the book traverses in minute detail the history of the turmoil-ridden territory. The book manages to paint a powerful and moving picture of the endless suffering of Palestinians.
Death, despair, and devastation have become a leitmotif for Gazans, and this is brought to the fore in the book simply through a factual presentation of events in the decades since the state of Palestine disappeared and Israel came into being. This is not to say that attacks by Hamas on Israelis emanating from the Gaza Strip have been swept under the carpet. In fact, in keeping with his rigorous academic style, the author has also detailed the Hamas attacks as he chronicles the endless cycle of violence that has marked the conflict.