A new UNDP assessment has revealed that poverty in the Palestinian territory is expected to reach 74 percent by 2024, affecting 4.1 million people. The report attributes this increase in poverty to Israel’s recent war on Gaza, which has set back development indicators by nearly 70 years, with the overall Palestinian economy shrinking by 35 percent since the start of the offensive. Unemployment is also expected to rise to around 49.9 percent.
The Human Development Index for Gaza is projected to drop back to a level last seen in 1955, erasing over 69 years of progress, while the West Bank is expected to reflect a loss of 16 years in development. The poverty rate is set to almost double to 74.3 percent, with 2.61 million people falling into poverty in the last year alone.
The report highlights the urgent need for humanitarian aid and a pause in the fighting to allow aid to reach trapped civilians in northern Gaza. The destruction caused by Israeli bombing campaigns has created serious health risks, with 42 million tonnes of rubble posing a danger, especially the destruction of solar panels releasing lead and heavy metals.
The UNRWA has made an urgent plea for a pause in the fighting to provide aid in Gaza, where food, water, and medicine are in short supply, and many bodies lie unattended under rubble due to the blockade on aid shipments. The situation is dire, with high levels of food shortage and thousands of casualties from Israeli attacks.
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