On International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2024, Palestinians face famine and unprecedent poverty levels due to the Israeli Occupying Power measures.
The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, observed on October 17, reminds us of the global need to unite efforts to fight poverty. However, in Gaza and the West Bank, the situation has worsened dramatically in the past year.
A May 2024 World Bank Report indicated that half a million jobs had been lost by the Palestinian economy since October 2023. This includes an estimated loss of 200,000 jobs in the Gaza Strip, 144,000 jobs in the West Bank, and 148,000 by Palestinians from the West Bank employed in the Israeli labor market.
A further World Bank Update of September 2024 indicates that the economic and social conditions in Palestine have deteriorated to the extent that nearly the entire population of Gaza living in poverty. It also indicates that in the West Bank, a sharp economic contraction since late 2023 has caused a dramatic rise in poverty, with the short-term poverty rate more than doubling from 12% to 28% by mid-2024. These trends indicate a deepening crisis with long-term repercussions for the population.
In Gaza, 2.3 million Palestinians have been trapped by Israel for over a year in an active war zone subjected to constant bombings, shelling, destruction of housing, infrastructure and healthcare facilities, displaced over and over again, with no hope for safety from harm even while being treated in hospitals. Due to severe Israeli restrictions imposed on goods and supplies allowed into Gaza, and total blockades of all of the Gaza Strip or parts of it (at the moment, northern Gaza), all Gaza residents have been exposed to famine conditions, and some of its most vulnerable have starved to death. Thus, the latest UN-partnered IPC report indicates that 96% of the population, approximately 2.15 million people, are experiencing acute food insecurity at a “crisis” level or higher, categorized as level three on the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) index.
On this day, as the world focuses on ending poverty, it is crucial to recognize that in Gaza and the West Bank, and the surrounding region, this can only be achieved through upholding international law, and mobilizing all efforts to achieve peace, justice and prosperity, starting with the imposition of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, and a clear plan to end the illegal Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.
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