Israel-Hamas conflict: Five wars in 15 years have stifled Gaza Strip’s growth | Data Premium
The Hindu
With Israel repeatedly striking Gaza, which is among the densest places in the world, the death toll has already reached record levels
Since the beginning of Israeli strikes following Hamas’ surprise attack in southern Israel on October 7, over 4,700 people have died in the Gaza Strip, according to reports from the territory’s leaders. Of these, close to 1,800 were children, says the Palestinian health ministry. Israeli strikes on Gaza have also left about 16,000 people injured.
The Gaza Strip, a financially strained Palestinian territory, has been under Israeli blockade since 2007. It is been under the governance of Hamas, which has engaged in war with Israel five times in the last 15 years. The Gaza Strip was occupied by Israel during the 1967 war and returned to Palestine fully in 2005. As Gaza shares its border with Israel in the north and east, Egypt in the south, and the Mediterranean Sea in the west, its entries and exits are heavily controlled. In 2007, Israel imposed an air, land, and sea blockade on Gaza. This means that except the Rafah entrance on the Egyptian border, every other point is controlled by Israel.
Due to such intense scrutiny on the movement of men and goods combined with years of bombardment, Gaza has not seen meaningful development in recent decades. The latest war with Israel is the fifth in the last 15 years, with the other four recorded in 2008, 2012, 2014, and 2021. Each time, air strikes from Israel have flattened buildings and killed civilians. This has led to an increase in poverty levels.
The GDP per capita of the West Bank and Gaza in 2022 was $5,722 (Chart 1A). This was less than that of India ($7,096) and just above the GDP per capita of Pakistan ($5,452). Israel’s GDP per capita was seven times higher at $44,272.
Chart 1A | The chart shows GDP per capita, PPP (constant 2017 international $).
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Chart 1B | The chart shows the percentage of persons under the poverty line.
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