BEIRUT, Dec 21 — At least 66 per cent of jobs have been lost in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on Oct 7, according to data from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) on Wednesday.
A total of 192,000 jobs had been lost in Gaza as of Nov 30, while in the West Bank, employment was reduced by 32 per cent, equivalent to 276,000 jobs, according to the figures.
“The Palestinians in Gaza are in the midst of a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions,” said ILO Regional Director for Arab States Ruba Jaradat.
PCBS President Ola Awad said the unemployment rate has reached the highest level in decades.
The death toll of Palestinians from Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has reached 20,000, and more than 52,000 were wounded since Oct 7, the Hamas-run government media office said on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Palestinian deaths from Israeli raids in the West Bank have climbed to 303, according to WAFA, the official Palestinian news agency.
— Bernama
