By The Jerusalem Post (Politics) | Created at 2024-10-22 10:39:04 | Updated at 2024-10-22 12:30:11
2 hours ago
The war in Gaza has devastated the Palestinian economy, which is now 35% smaller than it was at the start of Israel's incursion a year ago, while development levels in Gaza itself have collapsed to the level of the 1950s, the UN's development agency said.
Launching a new study on the socioeconomic impacts of the war, which the Hamas-run health ministry says has claimed more than 42,500 lives, the UNDP's Chitose Noguchi said that by some measures, the region's poverty level was now approaching 100% as a result of the disruption, with unemployment now at 80%.
"The state of Palestine is experiencing unprecedented levels of setbacks," she said over a crackling line from Deir Al-Balah. "For Gaza, reversing development by an estimated 70 years to 1955."
