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UNOCHA Factsheet: Humanitarian Situation in the Gaza Strip
19 October 2011
October 2011: The ongoing Gaza blockade (through the land, air and sea) is a denial of basic human rights in contravention of international law and amounts to collective punishment.
FAST FACTS
- The population of Gaza is 1.6 million, with over 50% under 18.
- 38% of Gazans live in poverty.
- 26% of the Gazan workforce, including 38% of youths, is unemployed.
- The average wage declined by over 20% in the past six years.
- 54% of Gazans are food insecure and over 75% are aid recipients.
- 35% of Gaza's farmland and 85% of its fishing waters are totally or partially inaccessible due to Israeli
military measures.
- 50-80 million litres of partially treated sewage are dumped in the sea each day.
- Over 90% of the water from the Gaza aquifer is undrinkable.
- 85% of schools in Gaza run on double shifts.
- About one-third of the items in the essential drug list are out of stock.
- Since the beginning of 2010, 64 Palestinian civilians have been killed and 621 injured by Israeli forces; over 60% of casualties occurred in the access-restricted areas. Another 60 civilians were killed and 137 were injured in tunnel-related accidents.
- The Gaza blockade (through the land, air
and sea) is a denial of basic human rights
in contravention of international law
and amounts to collective punishment.
It severely restricts imports and exports, as
well as the movement of people in and out of
Gaza, and access to agricultural land and fishing
waters. Gazans are unable to provide for their
families and the quality of infrastructure and vital
services has deteriorated.
- Despite measures taken to ease the
blockade in June 2010 the humanitarian
situation has remained extremely fragile.
While imports have increased, they are still at
less than 40% of the pre-2007 levels. Exports
remain tightly restricted and are limited to
agricultural produce to Europe, and Gazan
businesses cannot access their traditional
markets in Israel and the West Bank. Access to
land and sea remains highly restricted.
- Only a minority of the projects aimed
at improving housing and vital services
in Gaza, submitted for approval by the
international community, have been
approved by the Israeli authorities.
Implementation of approved projects is impeded
by funding shortages affecting the operating
agencies, as well as by the limited capacity at the
single crossing for goods. The internal Palestinian
divide is an additional factor undermining the
quality of vital services.
- Lack of respect for international
humanitarian law has continued to result
in civilian casualties, particularly during
escalations in armed clashes and while
enforcing access restrictions to border
areas.
- Thousands of people, many of them
children, risk their lives smuggling goods
through the tunnels under the border
with Egypt every day. The thriving tunnel
industry is a direct result of ongoing restrictions
on the import of construction materials, the
lack of employment opportunities, and the huge
reconstruction needs in Gaza.
- Gazans remain isolated and cut off from
the rest of the occupied Palestinian
territory. Entry into the West Bank, either
via the Israeli Erez crossing or via Jordan, is
prohibited for all Gazans. The volume of people
allowed through the Egyptian Rafah Crossing
remains limited, with hundreds denied passage
each week.
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - Fact Sheets
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