Explainer: Why Is Gaza so Often in Middle of Conflict?

GAZA CITY, GAZA STRIP - The Gaza Strip was pounded this week by hundreds of Israeli strikes from sea, land and air, while the enclave's militant Hamas rulers fired hundreds of rockets into Israel.  

It's the fourth round of major conflict between Israel and Hamas since 2008, with the tiny enclave's more than 2 million Palestinian residents bearing the brunt of the deaths and the destruction.  The latest eruption of violence has raised the specter of another devastating war and once again drawn international attention to the impoverished, densely populated strip.  Here's a look at the Gaza Strip and its place in the Middle East conflict.