The General Federation of Palestinian Trade Unions (PGFTU) warned yesterday that the poverty rate in the Gaza Strip has exceeded 80 per cent.

The federation warned that both poverty and unemployment rates have reached unprecedented levels in the Gaza Strip, with poverty exceeding 80 per cent. Meanwhile, unemployment rates have reached more than 54.9 per cent in the besieged enclave, both of which are serious indicators of the deteriorated economic situation in Gaza.

The number of unemployed persons has reached more than 295,000 during the year 2018, it explained.

The federation added that Palestinian workers in Gaza have been living in catastrophic conditions for more than 12 years since Israel began its siege on the Strip, causing massive destruction of the economic sector, infrastructure and the contributing to the government’s inability to assume its responsibilities towards the Gaza Strip.

PGFTU called on the Palestinian Authority (PA) to lift the sanctions imposed on the Gaza Strip and provide emergency relief and development projects to alleviate the Palestinian workers’ suffering.

The federation also appealed to the international community to shoulder its responsibilities towards the besieged enclave and on Egypt to reopen the Rafah border crossing to allow the entry of basic materials to the Strip.

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