Yes, Gaza once had an airport! The airport was built with funds from Japan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Spain, and Germany and cost around 86 million $. The opening ceremony took place on 24 November 1998 and was attended by the American president at the time, Bill Clinton. The airport was perceived as a big step towards the formation of an independent Palestinian state.
The airport had a contemporary Islamic architectural style with forms derived from the old city of Jerusalem. The building, which was designed by a Moroccan firm, used some elements from the architectural vocabulary of Islamic architecture in Morrocco, particularly the intersecting arches. The king of Morrocco at the time, Muhammad the Second, paid for the design and consultancy fees. The project was executed by the Egyptian tycoon “Arab Contractors.”
The Israeli occupation force bombed the airport in Feb. 2001, causing severe damage. Another aggressive attack in December of the same year was enough to send the airport out of service. The International Civil Aviation Organization strongly condemned Israel for the attack on the airport, which it deemed a violation of the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation (Montreal Convention, 1971). The ICAO also urged Israel to take measures to restore the facility to allow its reopening, which never took place.
We hope to see life returning to Gaza Airport one day!