Through its millennium-long existence, Gaza has often been bitterly disputed, yet enduringly neglected. Squeezed between the Negev and Sinai deserts and the Mediterranean Sea, Gaza was contested by everyone from the Pharaohs, Persians, Greeks and Romans to the Arabs, Crusaders, Ottomans and British. And, since 1948, Gaza has been at the heart of Palestinian nationalism and history.

Filiu's book was the first comprehensive history of Gaza to be published in any language. This new, updated edition covers events since 2011, including Gaza's renewed tragic centrality to world politics and security since the events of October 2023: history's worst attack on Israel, provoking history's worst war against the Palestinians.

Winner, Middle East Monitor Palestine Book Award 2015

Winner, Guardian Book of the Year 2014

'A masterpiece...tells the facts, explains both sides...and leaves readers to draw their conclusions. ...An excellent but sobering book.' Michael Sheridan, The Sunday Times

'Even those who know Gaza well will find much...to enlighten them.' The Independent

'Tells the story of Gaza's modern political history in impressive detail.' David Shulman, New York Review of Books

'A magnificent piece of historical writing...difficult to see how it will ever be rivalled.' Roger Owen

'Superbly researched and well written, Filiu's work is essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand contemporary affairs in the Middle East and the relationship between the state of Israel and the Palestinian people.' Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

'[W]hile the Gaza Strip has always been a crucible for change, there have been few books on the subject; Filiu's Gaza fills a gap in the literature. ...An important study which I strongly recommend.' History Today