The people of the Gaza Strip receive Eid Al-Fitr this year while they are still living under an 11-year-old siege. What makes this year unique however is the intensification of the siege and the worsening crises that hits all walks of life following the actions taken by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas which he described as ‘unprecedented’ against the besieged enclave.
According to experts more than 50% of the people of the Gaza Strip are living under the poverty line due to the severe siege which has been going on for 11 years while the recent decisions of Abbas made new categories most notably employees and freed prisoners vulnerable to salary cuts.
‘Dead markets’
“Markets are dead” said merchant Tamer Badran 35 describing the situation at Gaza’s markets on the eve of Eid Al-Fitr. He told the PIC reporter that people come to markets not to buy but to have a look.
Badran says: “Traders bitterly complain because their goods are stacked and they can’t find customers because people do not have money as they did in the previous years” noting that the purchase power fell more than 70% from previous years.
Afaf Helmi who was carrying some items she bought from the market told our correspondent that she does not intend to buy Eid clothes for her three children this year because her husband is no longer receiving his salary as he did during the previous years.
Um Khalid who was listening to the dialogue said: “Who has money to buy? They cut salaries aid and support.”
In April the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas took a decision to deduct 30-50% from the salaries of the PA employees in the Gaza Strip. This decision severely affected the living conditions of the employees with more than 50% of them having loans from banks.
Unemployment
Bahaa Younis 30 graduated with distinction from the Arabic language department last year. He found no job except selling men’s belts in one of Gaza’s markets on the eve of Eid Al-Fitr.
He says: “I am happy to sell anything to earn my livelihood in a legitimate manner yet even though I am doing a job which is not mine unfortunately there are no people to buy. The situation is miserable and people are in despair. The situation is catastrophic and nothing could be done.”
According to recent statistics the unemployment rate in the Gaza Strip has risen to more than 42% while more than one million Palestinians in Gaza can’t find a job opportunity given economic and trade conditions which impacted social life.
Great barrier
Economic analyst Louay Rajab told the PIC that Gaza receives Eid Al-Fitr this year with multiple crises most notably the continuation of the siege the ‘massacre of salaries’ and the deterioration of economic conditions.
Rajab noted: “This is to be added to the existing problems in Gaza such as unemployment poverty and stopping of the wheel of production at factories. The most prominent of these problems is the huge number of citizens who suffer from poverty siege and late payments of salaries all of which serve as a barrier that prevents Palestinians in Gaza from enjoying Eid.”
Rajab explained that the recent ‘massacre of salaries’ carried out by the PA against its employees in Gaza has hindered the movement of trade and weakened the already weak purchase power stressing that the reduction of salaries caused the accumulation of goods at markets and a great loss to merchants.
The economic analyst stressed that most people in the Gaza Strip are living on aid pointing out that Gaza is living the worst time of siege.
