News / Reports

Hope is fading for Gazans under Israel’s blockade

Saturday, 07 March 2015 7:25 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 07 March 2015 7:25 PM ]

Ashraf Shannon
Press TV, Gaza

After years of blockade and Israeli wars that have taken their toll on the infrastructure of the Gaza Strip hope is fading for the region’s population of around 1.8 million. While unemployment and poverty are rising, living conditions are declining.

Gaza’s sole power plant has shut down several times due to lack of fuel and people have power outages for up to 18 hours a day. Waste-water and sewage treatment plants are not fully working and drinking water is polluted.

Israel’s summer war on Gaza only made things worse as thousands of people were killed and injured and around 100,000 homes were totally or partially destroyed during Israeli air-strikes and shelling.Thousands of Gazans are now homeless.

According to a report released on Thursday by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs the longstanding blockade has undermined the living conditions of the Palestinians.
According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, the suffering and the inhumane conditions in Gaza are man-made.

Israel’s summer war on Gaza has only added to the woes of the besieged population.Experts say the future will remain bleak for most people in the tiny coastal enclave as long as the Israeli blockade is not lifted and the infrastructure and essential services are not restored.

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