Gaza was always part of Israel

Early in the war, IDF Soldiers prayed at the 6th century synagogue in Gaza. (The Synagogue was being used before the Islamic invasion 636 by Caliph Omar who had a dome built on the ruins of King Solomon’s Temple Mount)

A while ago I took this photo of the mosaic floor that was rescued by archeologists from the synagogue.

If you are a Hebrew reader, you can clearly read the inscription beside the crowned harpist…. DAVID – דויד

Gaza belonged to Judah

During Joshua’s conquest of the Land of Israel, he “conquered them from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza“ (Joshua 10:42)

Soldiers reading Torah in Gaza (Israel GPO)

Note that he campaigned up until but not including Gaza itself.

After Joshua’s incredible victories, God reached out to him in Prophecy…. (Joshua 13)

“You have grown old, you are advanced in years; and very much of the land still remains to be taken possession of.

This is the territory that remains: all the districts of the Philistines and all [those of] the Geshurites, from the Shihor, which is close to Egypt, to the territory of Ekron on the north, are accounted Canaanite, namely, those of the five lords of the Philistines—the Gazites (Gazans), the Ashdodites, the Ashkelonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites—and those of the Avvim…..

God then lists more territory and cities including southern Lebanon where we are currently fighting Hezbollah.

God Himself Promised to Deliver Gaza to Israel

Then God makes an amazing promise to Joshua…

I (God) Myself will dispossess those nations for the Israelites; you have only to apportion their lands by lot among Israel, as I have commanded you. (Joshua 13:6)

Later, in Joshua 15:47 we see Joshua assigns the areas to Judah

Ashdod, its dependencies and its villages—Gaza, its dependencies and its villages, all the way to the Wadi of Egypt and the edge of the Mediterranean Sea.

Whenever people claim that “Gaza was never part of Israel,” just ask them to study the Book of Joshua.