Trucks carrying aid wait to exit, on the Palestinian side of the border with Egypt, as the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas continues, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, October 21, 2023.
REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsGENEVA, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Gaza needs billions of dollars in international economic aid to compensate for years of restrictions that have stifled its economy and curbed its development, according to a report published on Wednesday by the United Nations trade body.
"Donors and the international community need to extend significant economic aid to repair the extensive damage Gaza has experienced under prolonged restrictions and closures and frequent military operations, which has stifled the economy and decimated infrastructure," the report said.
Nearly half of Gaza's population is unemployed, and more than half lives in poverty, the report said.
"Border closures and repeated military operations have set in motion a vicious circle of economic and institutional collapse that has rendered Gaza a case of 'development in reverse,'" the report said.
Persons:
Abu Mustafa, Richard Kozul, Wright, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Bernadette Baum
Organizations:
Hamas, REUTERS, Rights, United, United Nations Conference, Trade, Development, Thomson
Locations:
Egypt, Israel, Palestinian, Rafah, Gaza, United Nations, Palestinian Territory, Geneva