Impact of Liberated Areas in The Gaza Strip on Land Use Arrangements "Khan Younis City As A Case Study"

Abstract

The Gaza Strip is a highly populated area with more than 1.7 million inhabitants. One of the worst administrations that governed the Strip was the Israeli occupation, which massively limited the development and growth of Palestinian cities. The occupation tightened laws and regulations and increased obstacles that prevented Palestinians from expanding their urban areas. Meanwhile, it established settlements in a method that besieged existing Palestinian urban areas and led them to develop in a way that served the occupation, particularly from the security point of view. With the change of political authority and the establishment of the National Palestinian Authority, and the withdrawal from the Strip in 2005, it was necessary to prepare development policies that meet the vital needs of Palestinians. As a result of the huge burden, represented in the constant population growth, this study comes to identify the effects of former Israeli settlements (Muhararat) on urban expansion and their reflections on city planning through concentrating on Khan Younis City as a case study, as it is one of the largest cities in the Strip that has been affected by Israeli settlements. The study finds that lands of former settlements, which are located within the municipality authority, have high environmental values and characteristics that make it necessary to protect it from unplanned use. It is necessary that such expansions should create real job opportunities that contribute in economic development, reduce high unemployment rates in the Strip and maintain natural resources as a national asset for the coming generations.