Gaza suffered 16 years of “regression in development”, according to the UN

The Gaza Strip has suffered 16 years of setback in its development, he warned United Nations in a report published on Wednesday, which points out that the economic consequences of the conflict between Hamas and Israel.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) highlights that Gaza’s economy has been “asphyxiated” over the years and that before the war, a 80% of the population was already dependent on international aid.

“Since restrictions and closures began, Gaza has experienced 16 years of development setbacks and suppression of human potential and the right to development.”UNCTAD stated in an annual report on the economy of the Palestinian territory.

Since 2007, coinciding with the rise to power of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza, Israel has blocked this narrow territory of 2.4 million inhabitants by land, sea and air.

Although the document focuses on 2022, UNCTAD representatives addressed the conflict unleashed after the bloody October 7 attack by Hamas at a press conference.

According to Israeli authorities, the Islamist movement killed more than 1,400 people and kidnapped more than 220 hostages.

Israel responded with relentless bombing of Gaza, killing more than 6,500 people, according to Hamas. It also cut off the supply of water, food, electricity and fuel to this besieged territory.

“The economic consequences of the actto the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is impossible to determine”But it will require “tens of billions of dollars” to repair the Gaza economy, said Richard Kozul-Wright, director of UNCTAD’s globalization and development strategies division.

The report assures that 2022 has already been “one of the worst for the Palestinians in recent history”, but “it is obvious that 2023 is set to be even worse”said Mutasim Elagraa, coordinator of assistance to the Palestinian people at UNCTAD.

International aid to the Palestinian economy contracted from US$2 billion in 2008 to US$550 million in 2022, which has “really serious economic ramifications”, he added.

The report also indicates that the Palestinian economy was hit hard by the pandemic. GDP per capita in 2022 was a 8.6% lower than in 2019, a drop that amounts to 11.7% in Gaza.

UNCTAD indicates that unemployment was Four. Five% in the Strip and 13% in the West Bank, although these figures only take into account people who are still looking for work.

This body demands to end “with the vicious circle of destruction and partial reconstruction” and negotiate “a peaceful solution based on international law.”

Source: AFP