The World Bank has uncovered that the entire population of the Gaza Strip is now entrenched in poverty, with a staggering rate of 100% and inflation soaring beyond 250%.
This dire situation has been exacerbated by nearly a year of ongoing genocide, characterized by a flat-out destruction of government headquarters, companies, start-ups, commercial stores and the private sector.
In a recent report titled “Palestinian Economic Modernization,” the Bank highlighted that the Israeli atrocities have driven Gaza’s economy to the brink of total collapse, reflecting an astonishing contraction of 86% in the first quarter of 2024.
The report notes a significant surge in the prices of essential goods amidst a severe cash crisis. Additionally, the war has precipitated the breakdown of the educational infrastructure and inflicted substantial damage on the agricultural and health sectors within the territory.
Amnesty International said early September that Israeli military’s campaign to expand buffer zones along the eastern perimeter of the Gaza Strip must be investigated for war crimes of wanton destruction and collective punishment.
This expansion of buffer zones has led Israeli military unlawfully bulldozing agricultural lands, destroying civilians’ buildings, and razing entire neighbourhoods, including homes, schools and mosques.
Citizens Nidal and Ashraf Abu Jazar from Rafah’s area of Ash-Shakoush were significantly affected by Israel’s raze of agricultural lands during Israel’s invasion of the city, according to journalist Hassan Eslayeh.
After the Israeli army pulled out of Rafah’s Ash-Shakoush area this month, a vast destruction was documented in large swathes of Abu Jazar agricultural lands, affecting 80 dunams of their crops and agricultural greenhouses, which stand as a source of Abu Jazar family’s entire income.
“Israeli military’s relentless campaign of ruin in Gaza is one of wanton destruction. Our research has shown how Israeli forces have obliterated residential buildings, forced thousands of families from their homes and rendered their land uninhabitable. The creation of any ‘buffer zone’ must not amount to the collective punishment of the Palestinian civilians,” Amnesty concluded.
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