UN says nearly all Gaza’s population in poverty

“The impact of the war in the Gaza Strip has taken a toll far beyond loss of life, desperate humanitarian conditions and physical destruction,” Ruba Jaradat, ILO’s regional director for Arab States, said in a statement.

“It has fundamentally altered the socioeconomic landscape of Gaza,” she warned, adding, “The impact will be felt for generations to come.”

The ILO also warned that in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli raids and settler attacks have increased significantly since the war on Gaza began, the financial situation has been “equally concerning”.

“The significant economic contraction in the West Bank is estimated to have more than doubled the short-term poverty rate, rising from 12 percent in 2023 to 28 percent by mid-2024,” the ILO noted.

Israel has continued its offensive on Gaza following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, despite a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

More than 42,400 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 99,100 injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the Gaza Strip amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.