Gaza (gâ'zah), Hebrew Azzah, strong. The chief of the five cities of the Philistines, 60 miles southwest of Jerusalem, 3 miles from the Mediterranean, now called Ghŭzzeh. Gaza was peopled by the descendants of Ham, Genesis 10:19; by the Anakim, Joshua 11:22; given to Judah, Joshua 15:47; the scene of Samson's exploits, Judges 16:1-31; under Solomon's rule and called Azzah, 1 Kings 4:24; smitten by Egypt, Jeremiah 47:1; Jeremiah 47:5; prophesied against, Amos 1:6-7; Zephaniah 2:4; Zechariah 9:5; noticed in New Testament only in Acts 8:26; a chief stronghold of paganism and the worship of the god Dagon. The town is now without walls or gates, but is in the midst of olive-orchards and has about 20,000 inhabitants.