Gaza is hell on earth:

Gaza is hell on earth:

Originally occupied by Egypt, which retains control of Gaza's southern border, the territory was captured by Israel during the 1967 Middle East war. Israel withdrew its troops and around 7,000 settlers in 2005.

It is under the control of the militant Islamist group Hamas, which won Palestinian legislative elections in 2006 and ejected forces loyal to the then governing Palestinian Authority after a violent rift in 2007.

Since then, Israel and Egypt have effectively blockaded the territory, restricting the movement of goods and people in and out in what they say are security measures against militants in Gaza.

Today, under Hamas rule, Gaza is a living hell on earth.

There is no safety for the common Gaza citizen who is used as a human shield by the Hamas to hide behind and save themselves from the wrath of Israel.

● There is restricted movement limited to the 41 km x 10 km area of the Gaza strip. Since Hamas came to power in Gaza in 2007, Egypt has largely kept its border with Gaza closed. The Israeli side of the exit at Eres is used by a few handful.

● Gaza is significantly poorer than it was in the 1990s. Its economy grew only 0.5% in 2019 according to a World Bank report, with annual income per person falling from $2,659 in 1994 to $1,726 in 2019.

In 2019 the Gaza Strip had the highest unemployment rate in the World Bank's development database.

At 50% it was more than double the rate in the West Bank.

And of particular concern was the high youth unemployment rate, which stood at more than 60% in Gaza.

The latest data shows Gaza's poverty rate stands at 45%,

● Education: It is in shambles. Gaza's 94% of schools run a "double shift" system, with one school of students in the morning and another in the afternoon.

● Population: Gaza has one of the highest population densities in the world. On average, some 5,479 people live on every square kilometre in Gaza. That's  risen to 6,197 people per square kilometre in 2020.

Gaza also has one of the world's youngest populations, with more than 40% younger than 15 years old.

● Healthcare: drugs, supplies and equipment are all restricted because of the constant blockade - including dialysis machines and heart monitors.

Just as in education, the UN helps out by running 22 healthcare facilities. But a number of hospitals and clinics were damaged or destroyed in previous conflicts with Israel, with the total number of primary health care clinics falling from 56 to 40 since 2000 - in the same time as the population doubled.

● Food: More than 2 million people in Gaza are classed as "moderately-to-severely food insecure", according to the UN, despite many receiving some form of food aid.

● Power supply: Power cuts are an everyday occurrence in Gaza. On average, Gazans get only three-six hours of electricity a day.

The Strip gets most of its power from Israel together with further contributions from Gaza's only power plant and a small amount from Egypt. However, this all amounts to less than a third of the power it needs, according to the World Bank.

● Water and Sanitation: Gaza has little rain and no major fresh water source to replenish its underground water supplies, which are not large enough to keep up with demand.

While most Gaza households are on a piped water network, the World Bank says supply is inconsistent and often poor quality. 97% of Gaza households depend on water delivered by tanker trucks.

Sewage is another problem. Although 78% of households are connected to public sewage networks, treatment plants are overloaded. Around 90 million litres of partially treated and raw sewage is pumped in to the Mediterranean and open ponds daily - meaning 95% of groundwater in the Strip is polluted.

There is also the risk that this sewage can flow into the streets, which could cause further health problems in the territory.

◆ Jungle rule of Hamas: All this can change had the people of Gaza accepted the path of peaceful co-existense with Israel. That would give peace a chance and create opportunity for the youth of Gaza to get better education, health facility and employment.

But under the jungle rule of Hamas, Gaza is not getting the opportunity or chance to better itself.

@ Dayanand Nene