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UN official raises concerns over current situation in Gaza

Xinhua, October 18, 2016 Adjust font size:

A United Nations official warned on Monday that the current situation in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip cannot help reach peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

The Israeli blockade imposed on Gaza and restrictions on shipment of construction materials "are negatively impacting the lives of the Palestinians there," Bo Schack, Gaza operations director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said in a news briefing held in Gaza.

He warned the consequences of the blockade, and said he was also worried about the situation for the staff, as it is "increasingly not possible to move."

Israel placed the Gaza Strip under a tight blockade since Islamic Hamas movement, one of Israel's bitter enemies, seized power after routing the security forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007.

Israel waged three large-scale offensives on the Gaza Strip in 2008, 2012 and 2014. Large destructions and a deteriorated economy followed, with high rates of poverty and unemployment.

In 2014, Israel launched an all-out offensive on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip to stop Palestinian rocket fire from hitting its territories. The war left around 2,140 Palestinians dead and more than 10,000 injured.

He reiterated these Israeli actions cannot bring peace or stability to the population of Gaza, pointing out that such challenges can only escalate the current tension.

The UN official stressed that no one is seeking wars, but the current social, economic and political conditions might lead to worse results, calling for actions to alleviate the dire conditions of the people there. Endit