Six months after the end of Israel's military operation in Gaza, the people living there find themselves unable to rebuild their lives and are sliding ever deeper into despair, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Monday.

People in Gaza are increasingly struggling to make ends meet and that seriously ill patients are not getting the treatment they need, the Geneva-based humanitarian agency said in a report.

The report also showed that thousands of Gazans whose homes and belongings were destroyed half a year ago remain without adequate shelter.

According to the report, the stringent restrictions on movements of persons and goods into and out of Gaza over the two past years as one of the main causes of the crisis in the territory.

Almost US$4.5 billion pledged for reconstruction by donor countries will be of little use as long as building materials and other essential items cannot be imported into the Gaza Strip, it said.

The closure imposed on Gaza has resulted in soaring unemployment and economic collapse.

"The poorest residents in particular have exhausted their coping mechanisms and often have to sell off their belongings to be able to buy enough to eat," pointed out Antoine Grand, head of the ICRC's sub-delegation in Gaza.

"The declining living standards will have a negative effect on the health and well-being of the population in the long term. Worst affected are the children, who make up more than half of Gaza's population," Grand said in a press release.

In the report, the ICRC demanded that the restrictions on the movement of people and goods be lifted.

The report also concluded that humanitarian action can be no substitute for the credible political steps that are needed to bring about the changes the population of Gaza needs.

The ICRC called on countries, political authorities and organized armed groups concerned to do what is needed to reopen the Gaza Strip and safeguard the life and dignity of its civilian population.

(Xinhua News Agency June 30, 2009)