---
title: "Israel Withdraws from Gaza Strip"
year: 2005
country: "Israel"
canonical: "https://recap.at/2005/gaza-disengagement"
slug: "gaza-disengagement"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "2005-01-01"
---

# Israel Withdraws from Gaza Strip

> Sharon's gamble: occupation ends, but the conflict doesn't.

In summer 2005, Israel pulled its military out of Gaza and dismantled 21 settlements, removing roughly 8,600 Israeli settlers from the territory after 38 years of occupation. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon framed it as a strategic necessity to reduce Israeli casualties. Palestinians and much of the world saw it differently: Israel had withdrawn its troops but maintained iron-fisted control over the territory's borders, airspace, and economy, making it a withdrawal in name only.

## Summary

Israel had controlled Gaza since 1967 following the Six-Day War (which ended in June 1967).

## Key facts

- **Number of settlements dismantled**: 21
- **Israeli settlers evacuated**: Approximately 8,600
- **Years of occupation ended**: 38 (since 1967)
- **Cost to Israeli government**: Approximately 1.6 billion shekels
- **Duration of evacuation operation**: 3 weeks (mid-August to late August 2005)
- **Prime Minister**: Ariel Sharon
- **Month completed**: August 2005

## Timeline

- **1967-06-05** - Six-Day War begins
  Israel captures Gaza Strip and West Bank, beginning 38-year occupation of Gaza.
- **2003-12-18** - Sharon announces Disengagement plan
  Prime Minister Ariel Sharon publicly outlines plan to unilaterally withdraw from Gaza and dismantle Israeli settlements.
- **2004-10-26** - Israeli cabinet approves withdrawal
  Government formally approves the Gaza Disengagement plan after months of political debate.
- **2005-08-15** - Evacuation of settlements begins
  Israeli military and police begin forcibly removing settlers from Gaza's 21 settlements; operation conducted over three weeks.
- **2005-08-23** - Netzarim settlement evacuated
  One of Gaza's largest settlements, Netzarim, is evacuated after intense resistance from settlers.
- **2005-09-12** - Withdrawal complete
  Israel announces completion of military withdrawal from Gaza Strip; last soldiers depart.
- **2006-01-09** - Sharon suffers stroke
  Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffers massive stroke, effectively ending his political career weeks after disengagement completion.
- **2006-01-25** - Hamas wins Gaza elections
  Palestinian legislative elections held in Gaza result in Hamas victory, dramatically shifting political landscape post-withdrawal.

## Relationships

- **evolved from**: camp-david-accords-1978 - Gaza withdrawal built on Camp David framework of Israeli-Egyptian coordination. The 1978 accords established the bilateral security architecture that enabled Egypt's blockade partnership post-2005 and Sharon's strategic calculation that Gaza could be de-escalated via perimeter control rather than occupation.
- **happened during**: israeli-independence - The 2005 withdrawal occurred within Israel's 57-year history of contested occupation and settlement. It represented the first major territorial concession since 1948 independence, reshaping the nation's relationship to its borders and settler ideology.
- **caused by**: american-civil-war-begins - Timeline of "Israel Withdraws from Gaza Strip" references "American Civil War" (2 shared tokens incl. title anchor).
- **caused by**: ve-day-germany-surrender - Timeline of "Israel Withdraws from Gaza Strip" references "V-E Day (German surrender)" (2 shared tokens incl. title anchor).
- **caused by**: gulf-war - Timeline of "Israel Withdraws from Gaza Strip" references "Gulf War" (2 shared tokens incl. title anchor).

## Consequences

- **2006 - Hamas Electoral Victory**: With Israeli forces gone, Hamas won Palestinian legislative elections in January 2006, securing 74 of 132 parliamentary seats and positioning itself to govern Gaza.
- **2006 - Gaza Blockade Begins**: Following Hamas's victory and Palestinian rocket fire, Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade on Gaza in September 2006, restricting goods and movement that would persist for years.
- **2008 - 2008–2009 Gaza War**: Escalating tensions erupted into a 22-day military campaign by Israel against Hamas in December 2008, resulting in hundreds of civilian deaths and further destabilizing the territory.
- **2007 - Abbas–Hamas Split Deepens**: Fatah and Hamas clashed violently in Gaza in June 2007, ending with Hamas taking full control and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction retreating to the West Bank.

## Then vs now

- **Gaza Population**: 2005: ~1.4 million → 2024: ~2.3 million - Population nearly doubled despite blockade and periodic conflict.
- **Israeli Military Presence**: 2005: Direct occupation with 8,500 settlers → 2024: No settlements; perimeter control via blockade - Withdrawal eliminated visible Israeli civilian presence but expanded military coordination with Egypt.
- **Gaza Unemployment Rate**: 2005: ~25–30% → 2023: ~45%+ (pre-2023 conflict) - Economic deterioration accelerated under blockade and Hamas governance.

## Impact

In August 2005, Israel withdrew its military forces and 8,500 settlers from Gaza after 38 years of occupation, marking the first time the country unilaterally ceded territory. The move, orchestrated by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, reshaped the region's power dynamics and left Gaza's governance in question-a vacuum that would define Middle Eastern politics for decades.

---
Canonical: https://recap.at/2005/gaza-disengagement