UN: "Quality of Life in Gaza Strip Regresses to 69 Years Ago"

In the Gaza Strip, devastated by clashes between Israel and the Palestinian armed faction Hamas, indicators reflecting the quality of life of residents have regressed to levels seen 69 years ago.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA) diagnosed in a report published on the 22nd (local time) that the Human Development Index (HDI) of the Gaza Strip is expected to fall to 0.408 by the end of this year.

The HDI is an indicator measuring residents' quality of life, evaluating factors such as life expectancy, expected years of schooling, average years of schooling, and gross national income per capita; the closer the value is to 1, the higher the quality of life.

The projected year-end HDI of 0.408 for the Gaza Strip matches the figure from 1955, and the report assessed that the level of living has regressed to that of 69 years ago due to the war.

In the West Bank of the Jordan River, where violent incidents frequently occur, the HDI is also estimated to drop to 0.676 by the end of this year, which corresponds to levels from 16 years ago.

The report predicted that the HDI for the entire Palestinian territory will be 0.643, a level seen 24 years ago.

The UNDP pointed out that relying solely on humanitarian aid as it is now will take at least more than 10 years for the quality of life in the Palestinian region to recover to pre-war levels.

It emphasized that strategic investments for post-war recovery and reconstruction, as well as lifting economic restrictions in labor and customs sectors, are necessary to foster the self-sustainability of the Palestinian economy and thereby establish a foundation for sustainable development.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.