The UN Conference On Trade And Development released a report yesterday (Tuesday 1st September) stating that Gaza could become “uninhabitable” by 2020 at the current rate. The report points to eight years of economic blockade, by Egypt and Israel, and the three wars fought with Israel over the past six years.
The remains of a family home in the north Gazan town of Beit Hanoun following the 2014 conflict. Credit: Assosciated Press
“[The 2014 conflict] has effectively eliminated what was left of the middle class, sending almost all of the population into destitution and dependence on international humanitarian aid,”
Reporting on the UN Conference On Trade and Development’s findings, Israeli newspapers, Haaretz, states:
“The wars have shattered Gaza’s ability to export and produce for the domestic market and left no time for reconstruction, the report says. It notes that Gaza’s “de-development,” or development in reverse, has been accelerated.”
Explosions in Gaza, during Operation Protective Edge. Credit: The Independent
Haaretz also states that Gazan unemployment is higher than ever before, at 44%, 72% of homes in Gaza are “food insecure” and GDP has dropped below 15%.
Egyptian bulldozers begin the process to flood the borders with Gaza. Credit: Associated Press
The UN report states, the future for the people of Gaza is “bleak”. But we at the Liberal Democrat Friends Of Palestine would argue that the present is incredibly bleak too. Humanitarian crises are popping up across the globe, faster than they are being resolved, we urge those that have it in their power to make the problems of the people of Gaza better, not worse.