International Platform of NGOs Working for Palestine "I Palestine" has denounced the policy of collective punishment used by the Israeli authorities against Palestinians of the Gaza Strip, which is under economic blockade for 14 year.

It says that the Gaza Strip has been suffering since 2006 from a severe Israeli blockade that has led to an unprecedented deterioration in economic levels and living standards, which got worse in light of the Coronavirus outbreak.

The unemployment rate, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, reached 52%, and the poverty rate among the population of the Gaza Strip reached a percentage of 53. Available data also showed that 68.5% of families suffer from food insecurity, and according to UNRWA, approximately 80% of the population depends on food aid.

Furthermore, the international platform has indicated that after the Israeli decision to prevent the entry of fuel into the strip, it is expected that the electricity crisis will worsen, as the shortage percentage will reach 76%, so that the number of hours of blackout reaches 18 hours per day.

In addition, it says that the new Israeli measures, which aimed at tightening the siege on the Gaza Strip at the time of Coronavirus, will achieve what was expected by the United Nations report issued in 2012, which stated that the strip will not be suitable for living in by the year 2020.

It has warned that the Gaza Strip will suffer from a real humanitarian catastrophe that citizens will not be able to endure in the coming weeks, especially in light of the presence of thousands of citizens in quarantine centers, as they need ventilation, clean water and permanent health care. The suffering of the citizens will be doubled in case the Israeli authorities do not cancel its decision.

Source : Safa