By Nour Abu Aisha
GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – The Gaza Strip has officially become a “disaster zone “, the Charity Coalition, an umbrella organization for Islamic charity groups, said Thursday.
“We therefore announce the launch of the Safe Gaza Initiative with a view to meeting the basic needs of Gaza’s two million inhabitants,” coalition coordinator Ahmad al-Kurd said at a press conference in Gaza City.
Al-Kurd called on Arab and Muslim relief agencies, along with international aid organizations, to take immediate steps aimed at “rescuing Gazans from the steadily deteriorating conditions they face. ”
Since 2007, the Gaza Strip has groaned under a crippling Israeli-Egyptian blockade that continues to deprive its inhabitants of many essential commodities, including food, fuel, medicine and building materials.
According to al-Kurd, roughly 80 percent of the strip’s inhabitants now live in poverty as a direct result of the ongoing embargo.
