History - Gaza's Former International Airport

• Dashed dreams: How Gaza’s short-lived airport never took off - Al Jazeera America

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• Inside the ruins of Gaza's airport - Daily Mail

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• Gaza's ruined airport and unbuilt seaport fuel dreams of independence - Guardian

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Incredible footage which is very inspirational and motivating for us at Project Unified Assistance. Although Project Unified Assistance proposes a different airport model with a new purpose and location, the Organization believes that Gaza's short-lived airport under the Palestinian Authority's control (destroyed in 2002, structure scrapped in 2010) was a true example of dreams becoming a reality after hard work. The experience demonstrated how the seemingly impossible can be achieved, as well as the difficulty of operating an airport right on the border of two sovereign nations.

Our analysis of strategic, political, geographic and humanitarian conditions points to several realities:

 

• Reviving Gaza's International Airport using the same operations' protocol based on the 1998 Wye River Agreement is impossible and impractical.

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• Given that true political and administrative reconciliation between the West Bank and Gaza seems quite unlikely for the foreseeable future, and that the de-facto Hamas government will remain in control of Gaza, the international community and Israel will not accept the establishment of an airport run by the Palestinians themselves.

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• Israel will not allow an airport to be established in the old location at the south easternmost part of the Strip because of the close proximity to its borders and airspace. A new airport has to be as far away from Israeli borders and airspace as possible.