Pela Justiça no Mundo

"The Gaza Strip: A Humanitarian Implosion"
Published on the Oxfam GB website

Poverty

* 80% of families in Gaza currently rely on food aid compared to 63% in 2006. This
amounts to approximately 1.1 million people (OCHA, 2007).
* In 2007, households were spending approximately 62% of their total income on food
compared with 37% in 2004 (WFP, 2007).
* During the period of May-June 2007 alone, commodity prices for wheat flour, baby
milk, and rice rose 34%, 30% and 20.5% respectively (WFP, 2007).
* During the period June-September 2007, the number of households in Gaza earning
less than $1.2 per person per day soared from 55% to 70% (WFP, 2007).

Economic collapse

* In September 2000, some 24 000 Palestinians crossed out of Gaza everyday to work
in Israel (World Bank, 2006). Today that figure is zero. Unemployment in Gaza is
close to 40 percent and is set to rise to 50 percent (OCHA, 2007).
* In the months before the blockade began around 250 trucks a day entered Gaza
through Sufa with supplies, now it is only able to accommodate a maximum of 45
trucks a day. In most cases, this number is barely reached.
* 95% of Gaza's industrial operations are suspended due to the ban on imported raw
materials and the block on exports (World Bank, 2007).

Basic services

* 40-50 million litres of sewage continues to pour into the sea daily (Oxfam, 2008).
* As a result of fuel and electricity restrictions, hospitals are currently
experiencing power cuts lasting for 8-12 hours a day. There is currently a 60-70
percent shortage reported in the diesel required for hospital power generators.

Health

* 18.5% of patients seeking emergency treatment in hospitals outside Gaza in 2007
were refused permits to leave (WHO, 2007).
* The proportion of patients given permits to exit Gaza for medical care decreased
from 89.3% in January 2007 to 64.3% in December 2007, an unprecedented low (WHO,
2007).
* During the period October-December 2007, WHO has confirmed the deaths of 20
patients, including 5 children (among people awaiting visas) (WHO, 2007).

I wish JUSTICE and PEACE would prevail on Earth.