A Short History of the Gaza Strip

‘An excellent primer … essential reading for those hungry to know more about this ancient territory so as to better understand the current, desperate chapter in its history’

– William Dalrymple * Guardian *
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 * New Statesman *
‘Written with passion, precision and clarity’ * Irish Independent *
‘A wonderfully informative account of the complexities of the situation. Beginning in 1948, she guides us through these tangled events with great clarity, drawing on a vast array of sources. The text is nuanced, humane and critical at a time when too many assumptions and untruths are floating around’ * BBC History Magazine, Books of the Year *
‘The restrained clarity of this work provides a much-needed perspective on this fraught and bloody moment in history’ * Sydney Morning Herald *
‘Irfan explains the pressures building up to the explosion of violence’ * Financial Times *
‘Beautifully written, erudite, humane: an 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: The Architecture of Israel’s Occupation
‘A timely, short, highly informative history that is sure to dispel many of the misconceptions and misinformation circulating and currently widespread about Gaza. It will remind readers of what the area was like and what was lost in the course of Israel’s aggression, as well as recognising Gaza’s resilience. It could also help bring to the mind of readers the Gaza that was’ – Raja Shehadeh, author of What Does Israel Fear From Palestine?
‘In this stunning book, Anne Irfan contextualises the violence unfolding in Gaza today without losing sight of the humanity of Palestinians. She describes the horrors of history with a nuanced kindness and reminds us that these events are not all that matter – because the Palestinian people that experienced them matter too’ – Nadya Hajj, author of Networked Refugees
‘An incredible, informative and powerful book. It 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: The Truth About Antisemitism

Anne Irfan

Anne Irfan is a multiple award-winning historian and lecturer in Interdisciplinary Race, Gender and Postcolonial Studies at University College London. Her research primarily focuses on Palestine-Israel.

She is a leading expert on Palestinian refugee rights. In 2023, she published the academic book Refuge and Resistance: Palestinians and the International Refugee System.

Previously, Irfan served as a lecturer at the University of Oxford’s Refugee Studies Centre and has also taught at the London School of Economics.

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