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.

Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
(L to R) the book cover; Labour Party election poster 1945;
Books / 3 December 2024
3 December 2024
MICHAL BONCZA recommends a compact volume that charts the art of propagating ideas across the 20th century
Cairokee play Telk Qadeya (That is a Cause)
Gig review / 5 May 2024
5 May 2024
MICHAL BONCZA reviews Cairokee gig at the London Barbican
PROUD HISTORY: (L to R) Living Wage Campaign by COSATU (The
Culture / 29 April 2024
29 April 2024
Liberty Leading the People, Eugene Delacroix; Rupert Garcia,
Opinion / 15 March 2024
15 March 2024
MICHAL BONCZA rounds up a series of images designed to inspire women
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
LIVES REDUCED TO TATTERS: Displaced Palestinians arrive in c
Features / 10 May 2024
10 May 2024
It is clear now beyond any doubt that Israel aims to destroy Gaza and annex the West Bank. As the Palestinian resistance has shown this is not possible, will the West start listening to the Palestinian people, asks RAMZY BAROUD
UNITED RESISTANCE: Palestinians protest the blockade during
Features / 10 May 2024
10 May 2024
The first task of the resistance is to prevent the attack on Rafah and end the genocide. However, soon thereafter, the political malaise that has befallen the Palestinian people must be overcome, writes VIJAY PRASHAD