 Gaza was occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six Day War after the defeat of a coalition of Arab armies . Under Israeli occupation , existing structures of administration in Gaza would be maintained and administrative tasks would continue to be executed by Palestinian civil servants . Although this policy of " government but not administration " was declared , some felt that the Israeli military frequently interfered in the city 's administration in order to control local resistance to the occupation . In the immediate aftermath of the 1967 War , the military governor of Gaza threatened to dismiss the municipal council and cut off utility services if the local leadership was unable to force the residents of the city to turn in their weapons . This action was deemed excessive and was revoked by the Israeli military governor of the Gaza Strip , however . Organized armed struggle against Israel peaked between 1969 and 1971 , but was largely crushed by the Israel Defense Forces ( IDF ) under the command of Ariel Sharon . 
