Gaza_15 years of blockade

Looking back at the last 15 years of blockade and repeated cycles of violence bringing death and destruction in their wake, Gaza has experienced momentous de-development, severely impacting normal daily life for all residents and restricting their basic human rights. The statistics are staggering. Today, 81.5 per cent of individual in Gaza, 71 per cent of whom are Palestine refugees, live below the national poverty line. Sixty-four percent are food insecure.  The unemployment rate in 2021 stood at 47 per cent, with the overall youth unemployment rate at 64 per cent. In 2020, the per capita GDP stood at US$ 1,049, which is four times lower than in the West Bank and Jordan. As a consequence, today, 80 per cent of the population depends on humanitarian assistance. Among them are 1.1 million Palestine refugees receiving food assistance from UNRWA, up from just 80,000 in 2000. That is a shocking 1,324 per cent increase!   Between 2007 and 2022, 292 of the water wells in Gaza used for both domestic consumption and farmlands were damaged or destroyed by Israeli Security Forces. Eighty-one percent of water extracted from Gaza aquifers does not meet WHO water quality.   While the economic consequences are obvious and disastrous, this is not just about economics; there is also a tremendous societal cost that is seeing the social fabric of Palestinians lives in Gaza unravel and the mental health of its residents, particularly children and youth, decline at an alarming rate.  

In an effort to mitigate the worst impact of this untenable situation, UNRWA provides food assistance and offers its holistic approach to tackling the multi-dimensional nature of poverty, including providing access to free primary health care, livelihood opportunities, social services and shelter and environmental health. To address the mental health of the youngest, UNRWA holds annual Gaza Summer Fun Games to provide children with a protective environment at UNRWA schools to play and just have fun.