 Gaza is also mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as the place where Samson was imprisoned and met his death . The prophets Amos and Zephaniah are believed to have prophesied that Gaza would be deserted . According to biblical accounts , Gaza fell to Israelite rule , from the reign of King David in the early 11th century BCE . When the United Monarchy split in about 930 BCE , Gaza became a part of the northern Kingdom of Israel . When the Kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians under Tiglath @-@ Pileser III and Sargon II around 730 BCE , Gaza came under Assyrian rule . In the 7th century , it again came under Egyptian control , but during the Persian period ( 6th @-@ 4th centuries BCE ) it enjoyed a certain independence and flourished . In 529 BCE , Cambyses I unsuccessfully attacked Gaza and later , around 520 BCE , the Greeks established a trading post in Gaza . The first coins were minted on the Athens model around 380 BCE . 
