A U.N. report says life in Gaza is getting “more and more wretched” after 10 years of Hamas rule and a crippling Israeli and Egyptian blockade.
Robert Piper, the U.N. coordinator for aid in the Palestinian territories, said in Tuesday's report that “Gaza has continued on its trajectory of de-development, in many cases even faster than we had originally projected.” In 2012, the U.N. said Gaza could be “unlivable” by 2020.
Hamas seized power in 2007 from forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Israel and Egypt have since maintained a system of closures that has sharply limited travel and trade, saying the measures are needed to prevent Hamas from arming.
Hamas has fought three wars with Israel since it seized power, most recently in the summer of 2014.
