Merhabalar! I have been trying to read articles in Hürriyet, and most of them are still difficult for me. But then I turned to the coverage of the events in Gaza, and because I already know much of the news, they were a bit easier for me. However, I have what is probably a stupid question for you.

I had assumed that the word Gaza was related to the "gaza" that refers to "a military campaign on behalf of Islam." But I see the word in Turkish for the Gaza Strip is actually Gazze. Can someone please explain. Is there any relationship between the words?

Teşekkür ederim!

Yeah "gaza" means İslamic millitary campaign. There are many "gazaname"s written in the times of Ottoman Empire telling about the conquers of foreign lands. I looked at google to find what Gaza means and I found this detailed explanation:

http://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Gaza.html#.U94IjWOr82A

Note: I think Arabs pronounce it Gazze and Israelis pronunce it Gaza. I am not sure.

Well as a noun used in Turkish language it does mean what you mentioned, but in as it is a name of Arabic city it has a different meaning moreover in pronunciation. And both in Arabic have different spelling غزا is for the one you mentioned and غزة (Gazza) with stress on z letter is Gaza Strip. 

So they are not the same. 

So what it means in Arabic. 

- to give someone some speciality. 

- strength, force and stamina. 

- treasure and stores. 

Thank you to both of you! So many layers of history. I wonder if the name Gaza even predates the arrival of Arab conquerors. I see this on the website gokuyum mentions:

There are two towns with the name Gaza mentioned in the Bible, both situated in Israel. The lesser known Gaza is a town in Ephraim (1 Chronicles 7:28). The famous Gaza is a Canaanite and later Philistine city, conquered by Joshua (Joshua 10:41). This Gaza was destroyed a few times, byAlexander the Great among others, but consistently rebuilt.

And then I see this on Wikipedia: 

In 635 AD, it became the first city in Palestine to be conquered by the Rashidun army and quickly developed into a center of Islamic law. 

In any case, it is all very interesting!

Tekrar teşekkürler!