Palestinians were struggling to afford basics such as food and shelter before the deadly attacks carried out by Hamas on October 7, according to a new Gallup poll.
Forty percent of Palestinians surveyed between the months of July and September said they struggled to afford food in the past 12 months. The proportion was highest in Gaza at 57%, compared with 28% in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
Twenty-nine percent of Gazans reported they struggled to afford adequate shelter in the past 12 months, matching a record high.
Gaza has been under an Israeli blockade for years. The United Nations has called the blockade an illegal act of "collective punishment."
More than half face daily stress
Fifty-three percent of Palestinians living in Gaza said they experienced a lot of daily stress in the Gallup survey, compared with 40% of Palestinians in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
More than two-fifths of respondents in Gaza said they felt a lot of anger the day before they were polled. This marks the highest percentage since 2018, during the "Great March for Return" protests, in which Palestinians called for the end of the blockade on Gaza and the right for displaced Palestinians to return. Israeli forces killed nearly 200 people and injured almost 29,000 in the year after the protests began, according to the United Nations.
Anger grows in West Bank
The Gallup poll showed anger from Palestinians increased in the West Bank as well, after several years of decline. The percentage of residents reporting anger had reached a low of 31% in 2022, down from 42% in 2017. But it rose to 36% this year.
Prior to the war, Palestinians saw little hope for opportunities for their children, especially in Gaza. Only 28% of residents stated that children have the opportunity to learn and grow, according to the Gallup poll, compared with 36% in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
The war is expected only to increase Palestinians' vulnerability, according to Gallup. More than 9,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza as a result of Israel's strikes and ground offensive, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry. An estimated 40% of those killed have been children, according to aid group Save the Children.
Violence has also increased in the West Bank, where Israeli forces have killed at least 128 Palestinians as of Wednesday, according to the United Nations.
Israel's offensive is in response to attacks carried out by Hamas on October 7, which saw around 1,400 Israelis killed, mostly civilians in their homes.
