The existence of gas off the coast of the Gaza Strip is not a recent discovery, as gas fields named Marine 1 and Marine 2 were identified in 1999, with reserves estimated at 35 billion cubic metres, ensuring twelve years of production at a rate of 1.5 billion cubic metres per year. This field, located 36 kilometres west of Gaza, was first developed by British Gas in 2000 at the request of the Palestinian Authority, but the company quickly withdrew from the contract. Royal Dutch Shell took over the project in 2016 but also withdrew in 2018. Since then, the Palestinians have been looking for investors. The uncertain nature of relations between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli authorities, for whom the project must be subject to “coordination between the security services” and the need to “maintain the security and interests of the State of Israel in the matter” (read : Israeli control over production), is unlikely to encourage investors to rush in.