A wonderfully informative account.... [N]uanced, humane and critical at a time when too many assumptions and untruths are floating around.-- "BBC History Magazine"

Timely and highly informative.... It will remind readers of what was lost in the course of Israel's aggression as well as recognizing Gaza's resilience.--Raja Shehadeh, author of What Does Israel Fear from Palestine?

Explains with wonderful lucidity the context for Gaza's catastrophe.... It is a deeply depressing story, but one told by Irfan with erudition and nuance, bringing an unsparing moral clarity and deep insight to this timely, scholarly, humane and profoundly tragic tale.--William Dalrymple "New Statesman"

Written with passion, precision, and clarity.--JP O'Malley "Irish Independent"

Explains the pressures building up to the explosion of violence.--Phillip Stephens "Financial Times"

In this accessible, analytical narrative, Anne Irfan convincingly shows how the destruction of Gaza condenses the confrontation between Israel's longterm ambition to deport Gaza's inhabitants?mostly descended from Nakba refugees from 1948?and Palestinians' determination to remain in their homeland. A Short History of the Gaza Strip provides an urgently needed historical contextualization of an ongoing genocidal campaign.--A. Dirk Moses, author of The Problems of Genocide

It's the stories of Palestinians...that flesh out this account and bring it alive. The restrained clarity of this work provides a much-needed perspective on this fraught and bloody moment in history.-- "Sydney Morning Herald"

Readers seeking context to the awful headlines from the region should seek out this thought-provoking book. Robust research underpins this judicious record of Palestinian life.-- "Kirkus Reviews"

In lean and unsparing prose, Anne Irfan exposes the history of occupation and oppression that explains the tragedy of Gaza from 1948 to the present day. A brilliant book that will inform debate and make clear to policymakers how Gaza's future must in no way resemble its recent past.--Eugene Rogan, author of The Damascus Events

In this stunning book, Dr. Anne Irfan contextualizes the violence unfolding in Gaza today without losing sight of the humanity of Palestinians. In documenting six critical historical junctures that fomented the occupation and ensuing violence, she describes a cruel dynamic that both corrupts the Israeli soul and ruins the Palestinian people.--Nadya Hajj, author of Networked Refugees

A beautifully written, erudite, humane, and essential guide to understanding the way the Israeli settler colonial project in and around Gaza has evolved into a brutal genocide.--Eyal Weizman, author of Hollow Land

An incredible, informative, and powerful book. Anne Irfan tells us that you can't understand the current destruction of Gaza without going back to the beginning and then does exactly that, in such a readable and devastating way.--Rachel Shabi, author of Off-White

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Pub date: 2026-09-22

Length: 304 pages