Blockade of the Gaza Strip the recognition of Israel, disavowal violent actions, and acceptance the previous agreements between Israel and the PA. In March 2007, Hamas and Fatah formed a unity government headed by Ismail Haniya. Shortly after, in June, Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip during the Battle of Gaza. Hamas seized government institutions and replaced Fatah and other government officials with Hamas members. Following the takeover, Egypt and Israel largely closed their border crossings with Gaza, on the grounds that Fatah had fled the Strip and was no longer able to provide security on the Palestinian side. Egypt was worried that Hamas
Gaza Strip Israel as the occupying power in Gaza under the traditional law of occupation," but that some legal theories might downplay the significance of the lack of an Israeli presence on the ground, and that Israel still continues to exercise some control over Gaza in parallel with the Palestinian Authority. Shany wrote that "in order to identify the ultimate power of government in Gaza one should engage in a comparative analysis of the degree of effective control exercised by the two competing sources of authority." Some analysts have argued that the Gaza Strip can be considered a "de facto" independent state,