(NewsReady.com) – In 2005, Israel removed all of its troops from Gaza. US President George W. Bush insisted the Gaza Strip hold an election the next year. Hamas, a terrorist organization, seized control. Israel soon placed a blockade on the 140+ square miles. Since then, Gazans have lived in very poor conditions, and the recent war isn’t helping matters.
After Hamas militants crossed the Gaza border into Israel on October 7 and murdered hundreds of innocent civilians, the Israeli government completely blockaded Gaza. They also cut off water, electricity, and food shipments to the region. The goal was to root out the terrorists and eliminate them.
Unfortunately, the conditions for innocent Gazans have gotten even worse. The Guardian reported that the United Nations revealed that 80% of those in the region were already relying on international aid before the war began. That’s because the 2007 blockade completely decimated the region’s economy. Two-thirds of the residents of Gaza were living in poverty, and there was an unemployment rate of 45%.
A report prepared by the UN Conference on Trade and Development before the war began highlighted those issues. According to the agency, the aid that flowed into the region to help the 2 million people who lived there had been drying up.
The nearly two-decade-long blockade has “stifled the economy, impeded access to health and other essential services, and undermined the living conditions” of millions of Palestinians. Even before the war, the region’s residents didn’t have electricity half of the time and didn’t have access to proper sewage or clean water.
The conditions in Gaza have led to calls for Israel to stop its military actions. However, the Israeli government has asserted its right to protect itself against terrorists, calling the events on October 7 its country’s 9/11. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until every Hamas terrorist is wiped out.
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