250,000 unemployed in Gaza did not celebrate Eid holiday

More than 250,000 unemployed Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip could not afford to help their children celebrate the holiday of Eid al-Adha, which lasted from Friday to Monday, Shehab News Agency reported on Tuesday.

According to official statistics, the number of unemployed Palestinians in Gaza exceeds 250,000 and the poverty rate is higher than 70 per cent.

Shehab said that these numbers alone reflect the difficult situation of the families of Palestinian workers in Gaza.

The news agency added that the suffering of these families is multiplied threefold if any of them are still homeless, following the destruction of their homes by the Israeli occupation during offensives on Gaza.

The head of the Union of Labour Syndicates in Palestine Sami al-Amassi said that the cement which is allowed to enter the Gaza Strip did not exceed even 20 per cent of the needs.

Read: No Eid treats in Gaza

This negatively affects the employment situation, he continued, as the halt of the construction sector paralyses up to 70 per cent of the workforce.

Meanwhile, he noted that not more than 30 per cent of the houses demolished during the Israeli offensives on Gaza had been rebuilt yet.

“The suffering of the Palestinian workers has exceeded all limits due to the tightening of the siege at all levels, including closure of crossings and a ban on the entry of raw materials,” he said.

He added that hundreds of factories in Gaza had shut down due to the halt of raw materials and severe electricity shortages.