This comes after Israel killed over one hundred Palestinians and injured thousands of other protesters during the Great March of Return rallies.
According to the United Nations Middle East envoy Nikolay Mladenov, "Gaza is on the verge of collapse" and the Security Council has done nothing to take urgent action to relieve the suffering of the besieged city’s “increasingly desperate people,” including women and children.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, at various times, Israel has blocked a full range of goods that include almost everything from wheelchairs, tea, jam, lentils, dry food items and crayons to stationery, soccer balls, and musical instruments. These restrictions have affected the most vulnerable - babies and children the hardest.
Gazans are also living an electricity crisis; the restrictions on the import of spare parts, equipment, and fuel have led to chronic power cuts lasting between 12-16 hours a day.
Gazans are forced to live in the pre-Edison age and use candles; however, the impact of power shortages is more profound and goes beyond that. Health services are on the brink of collapse and safe drinking water is in short supply with more than 70% of households in Gaza being supplied with piped water for 6-8 hours only once every two to four days.
The blockade has also dealt a devastating blow to the economy of Gaza.
According to the World Bank, the blockade has led to an estimated 50% drop in Gaza’s GDP.
Today 43% of Gaza's 1.8 million residents are unemployed; a figure said to be the highest in the world, and 80% of families are living below the poverty line. This is a tragic situation and no human being is supposed to endure such misery.
