Gaza Uncovered, an informative presentation on the history of Gaza run by the Muslim Student Association of Central Michigan University, took place at 5 p.m. on Nov. 26 in the Center for Student Inclusion and Diversity.

Warda Qureshi, vice president of the association, presented at the event. The presentation reviewed Gaza's time under the Ottoman Empire, Egyptian military rule and the progressive start of conflict with Israel.

Qureshi said that despite having access to history and books today, Palestinians still cannot locate their homes on a map.

“It’s disheartening,” Qureshi said.

Senior Elizabeth Ratkos, who attended the event, said she was excited to hear about Palestine on campus and hopes to see more events like this.

“It's important to not only learn about current events but the history and context of it,” Ratkos said.

History of the Gaza Strip since 1960s

Israel took the Gaza Strip during the 1967 Middle East War. Israel continues to administer and guard the territory.

Qureshi said this became a growing source of Palestinian resentment. In 1987, Hamas was formed and became the start of the uprising against Israel. Palestinians were kept in certain areas and were not allowed to leave.

“That led to a lot of resentment and unsettlement among Palestinians because they were not given their basic human rights,” Qureshi said.

In 1993, Israel and Palestine signed a peace accord that led to Palestinian Authority. This agreement put Palestine back onto maps

Qureshi said that the Oslo Accord (peace process) was supposed to give Palestine autonomy and statehood, but that never happened because Israel accused the Palestinians of reneging on security agreements.

“It is not known in history that the accusations put forward from Israel were true,” Qureshi said. “The consequences were that Israel did break the Accord, and then ruled Palestine again.”

In 2006, Hamas won majority in the Palestinian election, seizing full control of Gaza. Since Hamas is a terrorist organization, Israel stopped thousands of Palestinian workers from entering the country cutting off their source of income.

“I would like to remind you that you can cross so many boundaries. You can frustrate somebody so many times, and they will rebel,” Qureshi said. “Saying that somebody got defensive, or saying that the frustration arose for no reason, makes no sense.”

Qureshi said Palestinians were ripped off their human rights and basic rights. They were not given enough food, or resources to provide for themselves and their families.

“They had to provide for themselves,” Qureshi said. “They had to fight back.”

Qureshi said that you cannot defend the way they fought but understand that it didn't stem out of nowhere.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a land, sea and air assault on Israel from the Gaza Strip. Since then, the Gaza Strip has been a war zone.

According to Associated Press, over 44,000 Israelis and Palestinians have been killed and over 104,000 wounded since the start of the war. However, AP said that the real toll is higher because thousands of bodies are buried under rubble or in areas that medics cannot access.

Qureshi said she wants CMU students to ask the question "Why." She said her goal is for students to question why this conflict is happening, why Palestinians are upset and why students only hear one side.

“Not choosing sides, right or wrong, because that's a person's own choice,” Qureshi said. “But just to educate people so they can choose what is right or wrong.”