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Palestinians of Gaza May 9, 2005
The latest statistics from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) show that 64 percent of Gazans are living in poverty, and around a quarter are living in deep poverty, unable to meet sufficient food needs, even with aid. The Gaza Strip is one of the most overcrowded places on earth and the population is growing. The inhabitants are native Gazans, there since before 1948, as well as hundreds of thousands of refugees who were forced to take shelter in Gaza in 1948 during the Nakba. In recent years, Gaza has borne the brunt of air attacks from Israel, as seen regularly on television. The poverty and overcrowding means that resistance here is the strongest, and in the long term, Israeli attacks will only make that stronger.
The Rafah and Khan Younis camps in the south of Gaza, along the border with Egypt, have been subject to the greatest number of housing demolitions (see Home Demolition in Rafah Camp). Despite condemnation by the United Nations, hundreds of families have been made refugees again in the supposed name of Israeli security.
Unlike the West Bank, where it is usually possible for aid agencies at least to enter the main towns, it is possible for the Israelis to seal Gaza off completely from both aid agencies and media. This makes it much harder for Gazans to receive aid and to get across what is happening in a time of military invasion. Resources: Articles on IslamOnline.net: External Links:
External links last accessed January 18, 2005.
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