ISRAEL’s war on Gaza has set back development indicators such as health and education by nearly 70 years, a new United Nations report has found, with millions more Palestinians falling below the poverty line.
In a report published on Tuesday, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said the overall Palestinian economy is now 35 percent smaller compared with a year ago at the start of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, with unemployment “potentially rising” to an estimated 49.9 percent.
The UNDP research showed the Human Development Index (HDI) for Gaza, a measure of “average achievement in key dimensions of human development”, is projected to drop to a level estimated for 1955, “erasing over 69 years of progress”.
In the occupied West Bank, the HDI was expected to drop to a level “reflecting a loss of 16 years”, the report said, warning it was “likely to further worsen” if Israeli military assaults expand.
The poverty rate across the enclave will almost double this year to 74.3 percent, it said. In all, 4.1 million people are now considered impoverished across the Palestinian territory, including the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, with 2.61 million added in the last year alone, according to the report.
“The state of Palestine is experiencing unprecedented levels of setbacks,” said Chitose Noguchi, a UNDP representative, from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.
UNDP head Achim Steiner told the AFP news agency that the immediate consequence of the war in terms of infrastructure destruction, as well as poverty and loss of livelihoods “is enormous”.
“It’s quite clear from this socioeconomic assessment, that the level of destruction has set back the state of Palestine by years, if not decades, in terms of its development pathway,” Steiner added.
Steiner said even if humanitarian aid is delivered each year after the war ends, the Palestinian economy will not return to its pre-crisis levels for at least a decade.
The study also said Israel’s bombing campaign created 42 million tonnes of rubble in Gaza, posing serious health risks.
The destruction of solar panels is particularly dangerous given the lead and other heavy metals they release, the report said.
