Rita's stuff

"Why then, to the backdrop of a threat of violence from the Israeli military and condemnation or criticism from many western powers, are we persisting with our trip to Gaza? Fundamentally, in my opinion, it’s because it’s the right thing to do. The conditions that people live in in Gaza are horrific as a result of Israel’s illegal blockade. It has not allowed goods or people in or out for four years now and living standards have plummeted. Eighty per cent of the population is dependent on international aid to survive. The number of people who survive on less than $1 a day tripled since the start of the blockade to some 300,000 people out of a total population of 1.6 million. Unemployment stands at over 40%. UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said that wages have dropped by one third during the blockade. Many basic medicines and equipment for hospitals like dialysis machines are unavailable or in extremely short supply with the result that the Palestinian Ministry for Health calculated that 265 people died between June 2007 and December 2008 as a result of the blockade. People have been unable to rebuild many buildings destroyed in “Operation Cast Lead” when the IDF mercilessly bombed and then invaded this densely populated small strip of land in late 2008 and early 2009."