On occasion of the 15th anniversary of the start of the blockade on Gaza, OXFAM in Jerusalem (in collaboration with the UN Humanitarian Country Team, AIDA and PNGO members) launched the ’15 Stars’ campaign in Gaza on 21 June. The Director of UNRWA Affairs in Gaza, Tom White, spoke at the opening event, where he drew attention to the social cost of the blockade – especially for the youth in Gaza - beyond the statistics that describe the de-development of the coastal enclave. Today, 81 percent of all inhabitants in Gaza live below the poverty line, 80 percent on reliant on international aid to put food on the table and 47 per cent of the population have never known a life without the blockade.
