Gaza's economy was already in tatters, but the Israeli invasion has caused 'unparalleled devastation', the UN says
By Esther Linder
Topic:Unrest, Conflict and War
The UN says Gaza would take centuries to recover economically from Israel's invasion, at current rates of progress.
In short:
At present rates, Gaza's economy would take 350 years to return to pre-war functioning, the UN has said in a report.
The sheer scale of Israel's invasion of the Palestinian territory has slashed GDP and forced almost all residents into poverty, the report said.
What's next?
The report's findings calculate even with a permanent ceasefire in 2024, it would take until 2374 for Gaza's GDP to recover.
It will take Gaza's economy three and a half centuries to recover from destruction caused by the Israeli invasion of the territory, a UN report says.
Israel's invasion of Gaza has "resulted in an unprecedented humanitarian, environmental and social catastrophe and propelled Gaza from de-development to utter ruin", the UN's trade and development wing said in a report published on Monday.
Gaza's gross domestic product, or the monetary value of goods and services within the territory over a year, would take 350 years to recover if a ceasefire were implemented, based on pre-war levels of growth and unhindered flow of aid, the UN said.
GDP in Gaza contracted by 81.3 per cent in 2023's fourth quarter following the invasion, compared to 2022, with construction, agriculture and industrial sectors all dropping by more than 90 per cent.
The report noted the "utter destruction" of Gaza's infrastructure and productivity by Israeli military operations, closures and restrictions since the 1990s, but especially since October 2023.
"The far-reaching repercussions will linger for years to come, and it may take decades to return Gaza to the status quo ante," the report said.
Israel's invasion and occupation of Gaza began following the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks, which killed 1,200 Israelis and took around 250 people hostage, Israeli tallies reported.
More than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed by direct Israeli air strikes, drones or other military operations according to local health authorities, with thousands more missing under rubble and tens of thousands injured.
Israel's stated intention is to remove Hamas from power in Gaza, and has said strikes are targeted on Hamas militants and command centres rather than civilians.
Prior to October 2023, the UN said nearly half of Gaza's working age population was unemployed and two-thirds of people lived in poverty. By the end of 2023, the poverty rate hit over 96 per cent.
Four in five Palestinians in Gaza are under the poverty line, the UN said.
Since the conflict began, economic activity has "ground to a halt" across all sectors in Gaza, the UN said, except for minimum humanitarian services carried out under severe restrictions and shortages.
The report's authors note the 57-year history of economic restrictions imposed by Israel upon Gaza as "staggering", particularly since Hamas, a political and militant group listed as a terrorist organisation by the Australian government, took control of the territory in 2007.
"Prior to October 2023, the economy of Gaza was hollowed out and its people were nearly completely dependent on international aid," the report said.
The cumulative economic cost of Israeli restrictions on Gaza since 2007 were calculated at $US35.8 billion of unrealised GDP potential, if the territory had grown at the same rate as the West Bank.
Most Palestinian students have not attended school since October 2023, with the UN describing the lifelong mental health, economic and psychological impact of the large-scale destruction as setting "human development back several decades" and affecting growth for generations to come.
Physical destruction caused by Israel's bombing campaign of Gaza — which has reduced much of the territory to rubble — has caused an estimated $US18.5 billion ($27.7 billion) in damage from October to January this year. Further figures to the present were not available.
The damage to residential buildings (62 per cent), water and sanitation infrastructure (59 per cent), and nearly two-thirds of hospitals (21 out of 36 hospitals made inoperable) by July 2024 has caused "unparalleled devastation" across Gaza, the report said.
The authors also noted the severe food security crisis gripping Gaza, with aid severely restricted with 31 per cent of infants under 2 acutely malnourished in northern Gaza and 22 per cent of the entire population "still facing catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity".
The UN's office for human rights has repeatedly warned the Israeli's army's actions have endangered the lives of Palestinians, particularly in northern Gaza, where an ongoing operation in the city of Jabalia has trapped residents without food, water or medicine.
By：https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-23/350-years-for-gaza-to-recover-fully-un-says/104506942(责任编辑：admin)
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