The city of Gaza, which has been an affluent trading centre for much of its history was first mentioned in the 15th century BC. The city contains a small port used by local fishermen. The Gaza City is the economic center for citrus fruits and other crops along with certain small-scale industries of which the textile industry is the leading one.

Prior to the 1948 war, the city’s population consisted mostly of Muslim Palestinians. After the war the city experienced an inflow of refugees and today about half of the city’s population consists of refugees. Since the Arab-Israeli war of 1967, there was political unrest in the city. It was not until May 1994 that the city became the first provincial headquarters for the Palestinian National Authority, which administers Palestinian areas in the Gaza strip and West Bank.

Today, Gaza city serves as the administrative capital of the Gaza Governorate. It houses the Palestinian Legislative Council building, along with the headquarters of most of the Palestinian Authority ministries. The first municipal council of Gaza was formed in 1893 under the chairmanship of Ali Khalil Shawa. His son, Said al-Shawa was appointed the first mayor by the Ottoman authorities. He undertook the construction of Gaza’s first hospital, a few new mosques and schools, and introduced the modern plow to the city’s agricultural undertaking.

The Palestinian National Authority proclaimed the city the first city council on July 24, 1994.  Since then the city has witnessed violent clashes between two rival parties – the Hamas party and the Fatah party, to win the Palestinian municipal elections with a majority and more often than not, it has always been the case that the Hamas party outdoes the other one.
 

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