Palestinians in Gaza already grappling with an ongoing, 16-year-old land, sea and air blockade imposed by the apartheid state of Israel are now being served another harsh and devastating blow. In May, the United Nations World Food Program announced that due to a “severe” shortage of funds, it is being forced to discontinue assistance to more than 200,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom reside in the besieged Gaza Strip.
This news comes as Palestinians fight for their lives under a barrage of Israeli military attacks, the most recent on May 9, in which 15 Palestinians were killed.
Since 2012, the United Nations has warned that Gaza would be uninhabitable by 2020, and it is not wrong. Over 2 million people living on the tiny strip of land are experiencing a weak economy with double-digit unemployment rates, ongoing power shortages, and insufficient resources to meet the basic needs — food security, clean water, and access to health care and medical supplies — of their loved ones.
As Food Aid to Gaza Is Cut, Palestinians Demand Freedom Instead of Charity