Haaretz
Elul 5, 5766
The UN's World Food
Program warned Monday that Gaza was facing a rapidly escalating crisis as
a result of Israel's two-month-old offensive there.
"Industries
which were once the backbone of Gaza's economy and food system ,such as
the agriculture and fishing industries, are suffocated by the current
situation and risk losing all viability," said Arnold Vercken, the local
WFP director.
The crisis has left 70 percent of Gaza's population
lacking food and forced the WFP to increase the number of Gazans receiving
aid to 220,000 from 160,000 the WFP said. They include poor farmers,
fishermen and others.
The Rome-based agency cautioned that the
crisis in Lebanon should not result in Gaza being overlooked.
"In
contrast to Lebanon, where humanitarian food aid needs have been
essentially met, the growing number of poor in Gaza are living on the bare
minimum and face a daily struggle to cover their daily food needs," the
WFP said in a statement.
With power and water supplies low and
unreliable, farmers forced to buy power and water to maintain their crops
are increasing prices at a time when people can't afford it, the U.N.
agency said.As a result, farmers are struggling to sell their produce and
make ends meet.
Fishermen also are in dire straits - the industry
paralyzed by a total closure of the Gaza coastline since June
25.
"WFP food assistance is acting as a band-aid in an attempt to
prevent a further decline of livelihoods and nutrition among the poorest,"
Vercken said.
"Rising criminality and a return to kidnapping
illustrate the precariousness of the situation and this deters foreign
investment and much needed job
creation."
The agency said it
faces a funding shortfall, with its two-year operation launched in
September 2005, which requires US$103 million.