Alwaght- United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that the longstanding Israeli siege on Gaza Strip has led to deteriorated living conditions of approximately two million Palestinians in the blockaded coastal enclave.
OCHA stated, in a report on Friday, that 72% of Palestinians in Gaza lack food security, while 40% of the residents are living below poverty line. The report added that the unemployment rate has exceeded 60% and about 80% of the inhabitants receive international aid in one way or another.
The restrictions on the movement of the Gazan people continue to reduce access to livelihoods, essential services and housing, disrupt family life, and undermine people’s hopes for a secure and prosperous future.
The situation has been compounded by the restrictions imposed since June 2013 by the Egyptian authorities at Rafah Crossing, which had become the main crossing point used by Palestinian passengers in the Gaza Strip and had rarely been opened over the past two years.
The Gaza Strip has been under an Israeli siege since June 2007. The blockade has caused a decline in the standards of living as well as unprecedented levels of unemployment and unrelenting poverty.
The Israeli regime has also launched several wars on the Palestinian coastal sliver, the last of which began in early July 2014. The military aggression, which ended on August 26, 2014, killed nearly 2,200 Palestinians. Over 11,100 others were also wounded in the war.
The Israeli regime denies about 2 million people in Gaza their basic rights, such as freedom of movement, jobs with proper wages as well as adequate healthcare and education.
Late January UN Middle East peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov official warned that the Palestinian coastal enclave of Gaza Strip is facing a major humanitarian crisis due to a blockade imposed by Israeli regime.
