PALESTINE - GAZA STRIP

The Gaza Strip (Arabic: قطاع غزة‎ Qiṭāʿ Ġazzah), or simply Gaza, is a self-governing Palestinian territory the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, that borders Egypt on the southwest for 11 kilometers (6.8 mi) and Israel on the east and north along a 51 km (32 mi) border. Gaza and the West Bank are claimed by the de jure sovereign State of Palestine. The territories of Gaza and the West Bank are separated from each other by Israeli territory. Both fell under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority, but Gaza has since June 2007 been governed by Hamas, a Palestinian fundamentalist militant Islamic organizationwhich came to power in free elections in 2006. It has been placed under an Israeli and U.S.-led international economic and political boycott from that time onwards.

The territory is 41 kilometers (25 mi) long, and from 6 to 12 kilometers (3.7 to 7.5 mi) wide, with a total area of 365 square kilometers (141 sq mi). With around 1.85 million Palestinians on some 362 square kilometers, Gaza ranks as the 3rd most densely populated polity in the world. An extensive Israeli buffer zone within the Strip renders much land off-limits to Gaza's Palestinians. Gaza was part of the Ottoman Empire, before it was occupied by the United Kingdom (1918–1948), Egypt (1948–1967), and then Israel, which in 1994 granted the Palestinian Authority in Gaza limited self-governance through the Oslo Accords. Since 2007, the Gaza Strip has been de facto governed by Hamas, which claims to represent the Palestinian National Authority and the Palestinian people.

In May 1994, following the Palestinian-Israeli agreements known as the Oslo Accords, a phased transfer of governmental authority to the Palestinians took place. Much of the Strip (except for the settlement blocs and military areas) came under Palestinian control. The Israeli forces left Gaza City and other urban areas, leaving the new Palestinian Authority to administer and police those areas. The Palestinian Authority, led by Yasser Arafat, chose Gaza City as its first provincial headquarters. In September 1995, Israel and the PLO signed a second peace agreement, extending the Palestinian Authority to most West Bank towns.

Egypt and Jordan provided the postal stamps for Gaza and the West Bank (incl. East Jerusalem) between 1948 and 1967. Both countries overprinted their own stamps with the word "Palestine". Of these "Palestine" stamps, 44 issued by Jordan and 180 issued by Egypt are listed in the Scott catalogues. By May 5, 1948, Egypt set up postal services and issued overprints of Egyptian stamps, with Palestine in Arabic and English. Egypt primarily employed definitives, with one express stamp, picturing a motorbike, and airmail stamps featuring King Farouk. From 1967 to 1994, Israel operated postal services in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and continues to provide postal services in East Jerusalem and the Syrian Golan Heights.

Starting in 1994, the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) established post offices throughout the PNA, developed its own unique postmarks and issued stamps. The PNA has issued dozens of stamps and souvenir sheets since 1994, with the exception of 2004 and 2007. Despite some initial doubts in philatelic circles, the PNA stamps came to be used for postal activities within Palestine and for international postal communications as well. The Universal Postal Union and its member countries generally do not recognize stamps issued by administrations that have not achieved full independence, though the UPU maintains ties and supports these administrations. On January 9, 2013, the first stamp with the "State of Palestine" wording was issued by Palestinian postal service. The move came following the historic upgrade of Palestine mission of PLO (Palestinian Authority) to the UN to non-member observer state on 29 November 2012. Originally all philatelic services were based at the GPO in Gaza City, but since the political split between the Fatah-controlled West Bank and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip in 2009 there exist two offices selling stamps, FDCs, etc., issued by their respective authorities to collectors: Ministry of Telecom & Information Technology (Gaza): General Post Office, Omer al-Mukhtar, Gaza City , And Palestine Post (West Bank): Post Office al-Bireh.

 

This is my first Registered Airmail covers from Gaza Region of Palestine with 'State of Palestine' stamps. Usually Israel Post will not allow these stamps on covers to international letters because  they considered it is a territory of them. Luckily my two airmail covers The covers posted on October 25, 2015 from Rafah, received on November 11,2015 .

Finally Gaza region of Palestinian Territory also started to issue own stamps in the name of 'State of Palestine'. This is my first cover from Gaza Strip of Palestine with 'State of Palestine' stamps. The cover posted by Hazem from Rafah Crossing, on May 07, 2015, I received it on June 07, 2015.

Cover Posted from Gaza on March 26, 2015 , received on May 13, 2015. The stamps issued by Palestinian Authority before the time of Hamas elected there. If a letter sent as registered from West Bank we will get a Palestinian barcode label with 'PS' code. But from Gaza it is still not possible. You can see Israel Post rewritten the tracking number with 'IL' code.

Registered Airmail cover received from Gaza with Gaza regional stamps issued by Hamas Govt.

Initially Israel did not allowed to use Gaza regional issue stamps to use on international letters. Only the west bank issues were allowed .Gaza stamps design and printing quality is poor compared to West Bank stamps because these are printed in an  Egyptian local printing company. West bank stamps printing in Bahrain with most modern printers. Gaza region stamps are not using in West bank region but West Bank region stamps (only West Bank issues are considered as legal Palestinian Stamps) using in Gaza region.The cover for me from Gaza Philatelic bureau on March 26, 2015, I received on May 05, 2015. 

The postmark has clearly seen the place name Gaza. The cover posted on July 23, 2013 and I received on September 10, 2013.