Ali Waked
Hamas labor minister says 80% are beneath poverty line, and 85% rely on foreign aid for relief
Sixty-five percent of the work force in Gaza is currently unemployed, Hamas labor minister Ahmed al-Kurd said Thursday.
Moreover, 80% of Gazans were living below the poverty line and 85% were dependent on the aid of international organizations such as the UN’s Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), he said.
Al-Kurd claims there are 150,000 construction workers currently out of work in Gaza. According to records, prior to the intifada 120,000 Gazan workers were employed in Israel.
The Hamas official said unemployment was expected to increase due to the Israeli blockade and the worldwide economic crisis.
Gazans were depending on a $4.5 billion package of reconstruction aid recently pledged for the Gaza Strip by international donors in March.
But John Ging, who heads UNRWA, said Gaza had still not benefited from any of the aid because of restrictions on the flow of goods into the territory.
“Billions of dollars were pledged for recovery and reconstruction and yet none of that can actually connect with those whose lives were destroyed,” Ging told a news briefing during a trip to European Union headquarters in Brussels.
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