Violence has been rife in Gaza but reached its peak in mid-2007, when clashes erupted between political rivals Hamas and Fatah, in a battle that resembled a civil war that left many wounded and dead. The Gaza Strip has also suffered from military confrontations with Israel, not to mention the political and economic blockade, which has led to increased violence in Gazan society.

The coastal enclave suffers from high population density, given the limited area of 360 square km [138 square miles], inhabited by nearly 2 million people.  In addition, 70% of refugees, nearly half a million people, live in eight camps set up by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

Hardly a month goes by without violence in the Gaza Strip. According to the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, in 2012 76 people were killed, including 13 children and three women, in addition to 242 wounded, including 44 children and 12 women. In 2011, 99 people were killed and 296 wounded. In 2010, the death toll reached 85, while 572 were injured.

According to Issam Younis, the general director of Al Mezan, violence in its various forms — be it physical or behavioral — continues to grow as a result of the exceptional circumstances prevailing in the Gaza Strip. This is especially true in view of population density, the political circumstances, the geographical and political blockade as well as the ongoing conflict between different Palestinian political factions.