Following the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Israeli decision-makers opted to conquer, colonise, occupy and dominate the Gaza Strip.

Why was this sliver of land - home and refuge to around 400,000 Palestinians - so important to Israel? Why did it come to play a major role in Israeli-Palestinian affairs, Israeli domestic and foreign policy, and – increasingly – Israel’s international relations? This book answers these questions.

Placing the Gaza Strip within the context of Zionist ideology and practice and the wider Question of Palestine, the book charts Israel’s Gaza policy from early attempts to put the area under Israeli rule before 1967, and up until the military campaign against Gaza beginning in 2023.

Based largely on Israeli archival material, official Israeli records , leaked US, Israeli and Palestinian documents, and international media reports, each chapter interrogates a pivotal moment in Israeli policymaking, its outcome, implementation and implications .

While historical accounts and political commentary often suggest Israel has acted in an ad-hoc way based on military developments on the ground, unaware of the consequences of its actions, or the advantages and disadvantages of its policies, the book reveals that this is far from the case.