In a report marking the two-year anniversary of the ceasefire that ended ‘Operation Protective Edge’, UN agencies have urged an end to what they describe as the Gaza Strip’s ‘de-development spiral’.
In a statement released Friday, 16 heads of United Nations agencies in Palestine called for the “uninterrupted and predictable flow of material and increased funding to address humanitarian needs and boost economic prospects for Gaza’s 1.9 million residents.”
Robert Piper, the UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Aid and Development Activities, stated that: “We must reverse Gaza’s de-development trajectory and address the needs of a population that has gone through three rounds of conflict, nine years of an Israeli blockade and the consequences of the Palestinian internal divide.”
Two years after the 2014 ceasefire in Gaza: excellent report by Gisha: https://t.co/wsbYpTqgwH
— Nick Schifrin (@nickschifrin) August 26, 2016
He added that “addressing economic recovery requires much greater financial investments and serious policy changes, including a lifting of [Israeli-imposed] restrictions on both imports and exports.”
On October 2014, donors pledged US$ 3.5 billion to support Gaza. According to the World Bank, only an estimated 40 percent of the funds had been disbursed by April this year.
(MEMO, PC)
