Alexander the Great took Gaza in 332 BCE. He was on his way to Egypt. Gaza then became part of the Greek-speaking Hellenistic world. It changed hands more than once. The Ptolemaic and Seleucid kingdoms fought for the region. Britannica’s history of Palestine from Alexander to 70 CE describes that fight. Once again, larger powers shaped the city’s political life.
Jewish political rule also formed part of this period. The Hasmoneans created a Jewish dynasty in Judaea. They expanded into nearby areas centuries before modern Zionism. Britannica’s chapter on the Hasmonean priest-princes covers that expansion and its internal conflicts. It also places them among coastal cities with mixed populations.
Roman rule tied Gaza to trade across the Mediterranean. Byzantine rule later placed the city within a Christian empire. Jews, Christians, pagans, and imperial officials all lived in this changing world. No one community accounts for the whole period. Jewish history in the region did not end when political rule changed.
The classical record holds several histories together. Jewish life and rule had deep roots here. Christianity later became the faith of the ruling empire. Outside powers kept redrawing political lines. No single community defined Gaza through all these centuries.