United Nations aid groups are to appeal today for a record $450 million in aid to stem the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territories.
The UN's huge aid appeal comes as poverty worsens throughout Gaza and the West Bank.
According to the UN, 65 per cent of Palestinians are living in poverty, and 29 per cent are unemployed. The Palestinian health care system is running out of medicine and on the verge of collapse, and nearly 50 per cent of Palestinians do not have reliable access to food.
"Under the current circumstances, poverty levels keep continuing to rise," said David Shearer, Gaza and West Bank head of the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
About three-quarters of the $453 million being requested is earmarked for job creation, cash assistance and food aid, Mr Shearer said. The UN is also asking for money to support the faltering health and education systems.
Much of the economic damage stems from the international boycott that Israel and Western nations imposed on the Palestinian Authority after the militant Islamic Hamas group won parliamentary elections and took office in March.