Holy Land: poverty in Gaza reaches record levels

Picture: Save the Children

The Israeli 'cast lead' offensive against the Gaza Strip carried out between December and January last year, has left living conditions and access to sources of livelihood at their worst level since 1967, with poverty affecting 90% of the population and "extreme poverty" 65%.

The Missionary News Service (MISNA) says a new report issued by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), has found that the overall cost of damages caused by the massive Israeli military offensive against Gaza, which left over 1,300 people dead, is estimated at $4-billion, with direct damages at $2-billion. This amount, stresses the UN report, is almost three times the size of Gaza's economy.

The Israeli military offensive destroyed infrastructure, 21,000 public and private buildings, seriously damaged water and energy provisions, and left thousands homeless with most of the population without work.

"The economic decline is rooted in Israel's closure policy, the erosion of the Palestinian productive base, the loss of some of the territory's most fertile land and natural resources to the Israeli 'Separation Barrier', and expanding settlement activities", says the report, issued last night by the Israeli and Palestinian media.

The report also strongly criticises the fact that the $4.4-billion in aid pledged at the donor conference in March in Sharm el Sheikh never reached its destination.

Source: MISNA