The United Nations has warned that the poverty rate of the State of Palestine will rise by 34 percent, and half a million more people will suffer if the war on Gaza continues.
According to preliminary estimates by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), Palestine's GDP will fall to a negative 8.4 percent, representing a loss of US$ 1.7 billion.
According to a rapid assessment study, "The Gaza War: Expected Socio-Economic Impacts on the State of Palestine," poverty has risen by 20 percent a month into the war. GDP (in the first month of the war) fell by 4.2 percent. The study also points to the ILO estimates that 390,000 jobs have been lost so far.
According to the study's projections, if the war continues for a third month, the poverty rate will rise by about 45 percent, increasing the number of poor people by more than 660,000, while the decline in GDP will reach 12.2 percent, recording total losses of up to $ 2.5 billion.
Source (Anadolu Agency, Edited)
