FACTBOX-Key facts about the Gaza Strip

(Reuters) - Palestinian militants blew up part of the wall between Gaza and Egypt on Wednesday, and tens of thousands of Palestinians streamed into Egypt to stock up on food and fuel in short supply due to an Israeli blockade.

Gaza has been largely cut off since Hamas Islamists routed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah forces to take over the territory last June.

Following are some key facts about Gaza.

WHERE IS GAZA?

* Gaza is an arid rectangle of territory at the southeast end of the Mediterranean, about 45 km (25 miles) long and 10 km (6 miles) wide. It is wedged between Israel to the north and east, and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula to the south.

HISTORY OF THE TERRITORY:

* Gaza has been continuously inhabited for more than 3,000 years. It was a crossroads of ancient civilisations and a strategic outpost on the Mediterranean. The Bible says Samson died in Gaza while destroying the Temple of the Philistines.

* It is believed to be the burial place of Prophet Mohammad's great grandfather.

* The Ottoman Empire ruled Gaza for hundreds of years until World War One when it came under British rule along with the rest of Palestine. It came under Egyptian control in 1948 during the Arab-Israeli war that led to Israel's creation.