Gaza: top UN official shocked by “grim and miserable” situation. Incoming goods down by 90%

UN shocked by 'grim' life in Gaza 

The UN's top humanitarian affairs official has said he was shocked by the "grim and miserable" situation he witnessed on a visit to the Gaza Strip.  Undersecretary General John Holmes said it was the result of Israel closing its border crossings and the "limited food and other materials" allowed in.

...The restrictions prompted militants from the Islamist movement Hamas, which controls Gaza, to blast holes in the border with Egypt on 23 January.   The breaches were sealed by Egyptian security forces only on 3 February, by which time hundreds of thousands of Palestinians had taken the opportunity to cross into Egypt and obtain essential supplies.

"I have been shocked by the grim and miserable things I have seen and heard about during the day," he told reporters at the main UN compound in Gaza City.

What is essentially needed is an opening of the crossings, a lot more goods coming in...Mr Holmes, who is also the UN's emergency relief co-ordinator, said the level of goods entering Gaza had dropped to 10% of what it was a year ago.

He said the Israeli restrictions had led to the collapse of the territory's economy, which in turn caused widespread unemployment and poverty. As a result, some 80% of Gazans now depended on food aid, he added.

"All this makes for a grim human and humanitarian situation here in Gaza, which means that people are not able to live with the basic dignity to which they are entitled," he said. 
Full 'balanced' story, together with Israeli lies, at BBC