Destroyed houses in Khan Younis West Camp, Southern Gaza – The Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated places on Earth, with about 1.4 million residents in an area of 360 square kilometres. The Israeli armed forces maintained a continuous presence here from 1967 to September 2005. From the year 2000, when the second intifada began, the Gaza Strip faced restrictions on the movement of people and goods, a severe economic crisis, the destruction of houses (30,000 people lost their homes over 5 years), military incursions and civilian casualties.