Gaza (Union)
The International Labor Organization said yesterday that the unemployment rate in the Gaza Strip has reached nearly 80 percent since the outbreak of the war, which raises the average unemployment across the Palestinian territories to more than 50 percent. The United Nations organization stated in its fourth assessment of the impact of the war on employment that the unemployment rate reached 79.1 percent in the Gaza Strip and about 32 percent in the West Bank, bringing the total rate to 50.8 percent.
“This excludes Palestinians who have lost hope of finding a job,” said Ruba Jaradat, the organization’s regional director for Arab countries, adding, “The situation is much worse.”
Jaradat said, “Imagine, with this very high level of unemployment, people will not be able to secure food for themselves and their families.”
She added, “This also affects their health. Even if they have money, there are no hospitals that can accommodate the catastrophic situation there.” In terms of economic data, the real GDP has shrunk by about 33 percent in the Palestinian territories since the beginning of the war. The contraction is estimated at 83.5 percent in the Gaza Strip and 22.7 percent in the West Bank, according to data published by the International Labor Organization.
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