GAZA SUFFERS ACUTE POVERTY, FAMINE AS ISRAEL CONTINUES GENOCIDAL WAR - WORLD BANK REPORT

By Shakir Husain

NEW DELHI, Sept 27 (Bernama) -- Gaza's economy has collapsed and its population is experiencing acute poverty and famine amid Israel's war of extermination against Palestinians, a World Bank report shows.

The report's findings are dire, showing that almost 100 per cent of the population of Gaza lives in poverty and Israel's relentless bombing and blockade have left nearly two million people on the brink of famine.

Fifteen per cent of people in Gaza, or 350,000 individuals, are without access to food.

Additionally, one-third of the population is in a state of emergency, suffering from sharp food deficits and higher death rates.

"Eleven months into the conflict in the Middle East, the Palestinian territories are nearing economic freefall, amidst a historic humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip," said the report's summary, published on the United Nations website on Thursday.

"The humanitarian situation is exacerbated by the displacement of approximately 1.9 million people, with shelters overflowing and insufficient sanitation services. Reports of famine-like conditions, malnutrition and disease are increasing, while major barriers continue to severely limit access for humanitarian aid, hampering efforts to address the crisis," it stated.

Leaders from around the world during the ongoing UN General Assembly session in New York have lambasted Israel for its war against Palestinians and criticised the US for its continued supply of weapons to the Zionist regime.

The US role in the Israeli genocidal war against Arab populations has come into sharper focus since Israel's recent expansion of bombardment in Lebanon.

Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf in an address this week said Israel is attempting to turn Lebanon into “a new Gaza" while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that "hell is breaking loose in Lebanon”.

"All the elements of the crime have come together now in accordance with Israeli occupation. As they have done in Gaza, they are doing the same in Lebanon," Attaf said.

"It's a crime of aggression, a crime against humanity, a crime of war, a genocide. In other words, it is an attempt to change Lebanon and to make it into a new Gaza," he said.

-- BERNAMA