Itongadol.- Following Egyptian army\’s operations against Rafah tunnels, Israel\’s restrictions on transfer of construction supplies, Gaza Strip industry left in shambles with 180,000 unemployed persons.
The ousting of the Muslim Brotherhood administration in Egypt has not only led to the political isolation of the Hamas government in Gaza, but has also taken its toll on the Strip\’s economy, which is in the midst of a severe economic crisis.
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics has reported that unemployment in the Strip has surged in the first quarter of 2014 to 41 percent, the highest rate since 2009. The number of unemployed persons stands at 180,000 people.
A year ago, in the first quarter of 2013, the rate of unemployment was 30 percent – meaning, the rate has increased by 11 percent in just one year.
The steepest decline in the number of employed workers was seen in the construction industry. The industry is undergoing a deep crisis as a result of the Egyptian army\’s ongoing operation over the past year against the tunnels in the Rafah area, which has brought to a steep drop in the amount of goods smuggled from Egypt through the Philadelphi Route.
The industry was also hurt also by Israel\’s decision seven months ago to impose severe restrictions on the transfer of construction supplies into the Strip, and to restrict the sale of construction materials to international aid organizations that operate in Gaza, following the exposure of tunnels close to Kibbutz Ein HaShlosha. Hamas forces had used concrete in these tunnels to prevent their collapse.