More than 59% of families who returned to the blockaded Gaza Strip fleeing war-torn zones in the Arab world are living under extreme poverty a study showed.
According to data by the Palestinian Ministry of Social Affairs 59% of families who returned to the blockaded Gaza Strip are enduring absolute poverty. 22% of those families can barely manage to secure their livelihood for two months due to the lack of financial resources.
112 families suffer from prolonged crying spells and the members of 119 families feel depressed.
Etimad al-Tarshawi the general director of development and planning at the Social Affairs Ministry said during a press conference held at the Information Ministry in Gaza on Monday that 50% of families are jobless and 75% do not have homes to take shelter in.
Survival for 66% of Gaza families largely hinges on aid. For 4.5% of families women are the sole bread-winners.
Al-Tarshawi called on the Palestinian government and its institutions to take up their responsibilities and urgently work on providing those families with shelters and permanent employment opportunities for at least one family member
The official further urged UNRWA to increase its cash and food aid for jobless families.
Al-Tarshawi also pushed for granting Gaza refugees identity cards and health insurance along with free university enrollment fees. She further spoke up for the right of families who do not hold identity documents to family reunification calling on all parties to combine forces to those very ends.
