Skip to main content
Central questions unanswered
ALEX HALL is impressed by the scholarship of the book but disappointed by its failure to explore in significant depth the ‘why’ of the Gaza predicament
MASS EXODUS: Palestinians leave through the destruction in the wake of an Israeli air and ground offensive in Jebaliya, northern Gaza Strip

Gaza, A History
by Jean-Pierre Filiu
Hurst, £18.99

JEAN PIERRE FILIU was a career diplomat representing France in Jordan, Syria and Tunisia and later held various advisory roles in the French government.

In 2006 he joined Sciences Po as a professor of Middle East studies.

This is the second edition of Filiu’s book. It won the 2015 Palestine Book Award and covers Gaza from 1500 BC to 2012. It has been updated with an additional 20-page afterword penned in March 2024.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
The Old Town of Gaza (1862–1863)
Book Review / 27 March 2025
27 March 2025
ALEX HALL is intrigued by a detailed history of Gaza that demonstrates its historic resilience and changing economy
OF THE PEOPLE: A Hamas election rally in Ramallah in 2007
Book Review / 8 August 2024
8 August 2024
ALEX HALL recommends a considered and unemotional evaluation of the history and strategic choices made by Hamas