Jews have had an association of life in Gaza for the past 4,000 years. Samson with his long hair was blinded by the Philistines, and he brought down the temple they had to their gods in Gaza. The Philistines are now extinct.
In the 4th century Gaza was the primary port of commerce for the Jews of the Holy Land.
In 1967, archaelogists discovered the mosaic floor of a 6th century synagogue on the Gaza seashore. Though we've been thrown out of Gaza many times, we have managed to return. The Crusaders killed many Gazan Jews, leaving few surivors. In 1929 Arab rioters threatened to slaughter Gaza's Jews like they did in Hebron, but the Jews left before they had a chance to kill them. The British must have found out their plan and had the Jews leave. In June of 1967 in another war, Israel liberated Gaza from Egyptian occupation, making it possible for Jews to live there again. Now that we have left, we just receive shelling from terrorists.
Reference: Portland's own Victor Sharpe: http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/02/gazas_rich_jewish_history.html Gaza's Rich Jewish History