The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
July 13, 2017

U.N. Warns Gaza Strip "Unlivable" Under Israeli Blockade
--------------------------------------------------------

In the Gaza Strip, the United Nations warned this week the Palestinian
territory has become unlivable for its 2 million residents due to
Israel's stifling blockade. This is Robert Piper, the U.N. humanitarian
aid coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory.

Robert Piper: "I see this extraordinarily inhuman and unjust process of
strangling, gradually, 2 million civilians in Gaza that really pose a
threat to nobody. … Across the board, we're watching de-development in
slow motion. Every indicator, from energy to water to healthcare to
employment to poverty to food insecurity, every indicator is declining."

The warning came as Israeli-imposed restrictions on electricity have
left Gazans with barely two hours of power per day. The blackouts were
supported by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who saw them
as a way to pressure his political rivals in Hamas.


.